rail line info

From the Monitor paper Botswana 21-2-13

The proposed railway line linking Botswana's Mmamabula coalfield and the Namibian port of Walvis Bay is set to help boost regional trade and turn Botswana into a regional trade hub.
Responding to inquiries from Business Monitor last week, the Chief Communications and Public Relations Officer in the Ministry of Transport and Communications, Amangwe Madisakwana, said the project would contribute to economic development of the country by means of promoting regional trade and attracting Foreign Direct Investment (FDI).
Known as Trans-Kalahari Railway (TKR), the route will run parallel to the Trans-Kalahari Highway (TKH) that already links the two countries.
Madisakwana said it was likely that the project would be a partnership between the government and the private sector, thus increasing private sector participation in economic development. "The railway line will be constructed at an estimated cost of US$ 9 billion and it is expected to create an alternate route for the import and export of commodities, allowing the country to be a transit hub into the region," he said.
Madisakwana explained that the two countries were still involved in negotiations regarding an appropriate structure for cost-sharing that would accommodate participation of the private sector.
He said the estimated capital expenditure for the project ranged between US$ 8 billion to US$11 billion, with operational costs ranging between US$21 billion and US$27 billion for a period of 30 years.
Construction of the 1500-kilometre railway line will begin as soon as the two governments have identified a development partner and concluded a contract from the list of potential developers. Namibia's Director of Railway Affairs, Robert Kalomo, has been quoted as saying construction for the rail line would commence in 18 months. A total of 36 companies, 15 in Botswana and 21 in Namibia, had submitted expressions of interest to develop the railway line and a viable port in Namibia when the advert was closed in November last year.
There were reports in the international media earlier this month that CIC Energy Corporation, which is contracted for the Mmamabula Power Project, had also pitched for the rail line project.
Mnamabula is ENE of Gaborone. The power station would be near to the village of Mmaphashalala. It is about 130 kilometres (81 mi) north of the capital city of Gaborone.
Good luck all