No sign of Blue Train return
Pini Bothoko | Monday August 15, 2022 06:00
According to authorities, they have no intentions of returning the train anytime soon.
The train stopped operation in January 2020.
The loss-making passenger train’s situation is believed to have been also worsened by the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic. Back in December 10, 2019 the north-bound passenger train that carried 400 people on board derailed near Palla-Road leaving two crew members dead with several more injured. Since its inception, the passenger train has been struggling to make profit.
The losses and safety challenges led to the constant discontinuation of the passenger train. Its losses were mainly attributed to overhaul and maintenance costs of locomotives and wagons as well as other costs associated with train operations like fuel and wagon hire.
Asked if they have plans for the return of the passenger train in the light of the relaxations of the COVID-19 regulations, Botswana Railways head of corporate communications and public affairs, Sakaeyo Baitshepi said the passenger train remains suspended indefinitely until the Botswana Railways gets to a point that it will be convenient, profitable and sustainable to run it. Baitshepi stated that historically, every January BR used to suspend the passenger train service due to low profits but they took a decision to suspend it indefinitely due to lack of funds.
He added that trains across the world are subsidised by the government to run and BR is no exception. “Despite being an alternative mode of transport, the passenger train has been running at a loss worsened by its lower prices because each trip’s profits could not cover fuel expenses.
It was expensive for the government to run the passenger train hence the decision to suspend it and we are currently focusing on how best we can fix the operations' inefficiency,” Baitshepi said.
Baitshepi also said they are currently looking at how they can run it in a sustainable manner so that when it returns it could be more lucrative and profitably run. The passenger train was convenient as travellers used to have return trips from the northern to the southern part of country or verse versa. Its return would help to reduce costs that are normally associated with long travel as travelers will not need to pay lodging fees to wait for morning as they would straightaway connect to a night train.
More importantly, the train used to help lessen long queues especially during long holidays. The suspension of the passenger train has not only inconvenienced travellers between the northern and the southern part of this country, it can also be linked to many deaths that continue to claim lives along the congested A1 highway.
It should be noted that the absence of the passenger train means that many people are forced to use their own transport, or public buses hence increasing the volume of traffic resulting in accidents. In advanced economies, trains are the mode of transport used for both short distances in cities and long distances across the country. However, it is hoped that by the time BR decides to bring back the passenger train, they will come up with a good strategy to run the train commercially so that it can be able to sustain itself.