The Hindu Business Line : Study on Trans-Kalahari route

Project developer Falcon Resources has announced that it will prepare a feasibility study on the construction of the Trans-Kalahari electrified railway. The line, to be the longest electrified heavy haul railway in Africa, will run 1,600 km from Morepule Colliery in Central Botswana to the new coal mines of Aranos in Namibia and on to a new port to be constructed at Shearwater Bay in Namibia, providing access to export markets for previously unexploited reserves. Apart from coal, it has also been suggested that the port could handle copper, iron ore, manganese and zinc for exports. The proposed railway, which will get electricity from a dedicated coal-fired power plant to be located South of Aranos in view of power supply problems in Namibia, will connect the main Gaborone-Harare railway to provide access to dry bulk exporters in much of the land-locked Central Southern Africa. The Falcon Resources consortium currently comprises South Africa’s Kumba Resources, Siemens Transportation System, black empowerment company Sekunjalo Investment and Canada’s Energem Resources. However, it has been reported that other investors too could take part in the venture. Although the project was conceived a couple of years ago, nothing much has happened. Meanwhile, the cost has gone up substantially.

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Study on Trans-Kalahari route