CPCS Transcom delivers Trans-Kalahari Railway feasibility study
Pauline Dikuelo | Wednesday August 5, 2026 06:00
The completion clears a critical hurdle for the implementation of the US$16 billion (about P220 billion) cross-border infrastructure project. It also marks the end of years of technical planning and ushers the project into its implementation phase, with construction targeted to commence in 2027. The feasibility study, which was prepared by international transport consultancy CPCS Transcom, provides detailed technical, engineering and financial assessments for the proposed 1,500-kilometre heavy-haul railway linking Botswana's coal-rich Mmamabula area to Namibia's Port of Walvis Bay. Once completed, the TKR is expected to fundamentally reshape Southern Africa's logistics landscape by providing Botswana with a direct freight corridor to the Atlantic Ocean while reinforcing Walvis Bay's role as one of the region's principal trade gateways.
The project is also expected to unlock new economic opportunities across mining, agriculture, manufacturing and logistics, while creating thousands of jobs during construction. Authorities estimate that the first phase alone will employ approximately 6,000 Batswana and 4,000 Namibians. Botswana's Minister of Transport and Infrastructure, Noah Salakae, says the milestone represents the beginning of a transformational journey for both countries. He noted that the frequent engagements between Gaborone and Windhoek over the past year had heightened public expectations that the railway would finally move from planning to construction.
'Our meetings over the past 12 months, where we had to crisscross between Botswana and Namibia, have created legitimate expectations among our people that the Trans-Kalahari Railway is about to commence,' the minister stated during the handover of the feasibility study. Salakae expressed hope that the project would gather sufficient momentum before the end of the year. 'My dream is that it commences in my lifetime. My prayer is that December 2026 must not come before we say something about when and how the actual construction of the Trans-Kalahari Railway will commence,' he added. The minister said completion of the feasibility study unlocks the next chapter of the project, the construction of what will become the first and longest direct heavy-haul logistics corridor in Southern Africa. According to Salakae, the railway line will establish a strategic transport link between Botswana's landlocked interior and Namibia's Atlantic coastline, improving supply chains, reducing transport costs and opening reliable access to international markets.
He added that the corridor has the potential to unlock Southern Africa's vast mineral resources, build new regional markets, strengthen trade competitiveness and enhance economic integration across the region. For his part Namibia's Minister of Works and Transport, Veikko Nekundi, described the completion of the feasibility study as a landmark achievement made possible through the dedication of the Joint Technical Committee, Joint Steering Committee and the appointed consultants. He said the immediate priority is for both governments to scrutinise the study's recommendations, agree on an implementation framework and develop practical financing arrangements that will allow construction to begin on schedule.
Nekundi also stressed the importance of adopting transparent procurement systems and ensuring that communities located along the railway corridor remain actively involved throughout the project's implementation. 'The feasibility study is complete, but our responsibility now is to interrogate its recommendations with discipline, agree on financing mechanisms, adopt transparent procurement strategies and ensure that community engagement remains a continuous feature of this project,' he said. He emphasised that the Trans-Kalahari Railway is far more than a transport investment. 'This is not just a transport project.
It is a development corridor, a physical spine for regional integration. It answers the African Continental Free Trade Area's call for tangible connectivity,' the minister added. Both ministers underscored that the project aligns with the SADC Regional Infrastructure Development Master Plan and supports the objectives of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), which seeks to improve trade through enhanced regional connectivity. Once operational, the railway is expected to transport more than mineral exports. It is envisaged as a catalyst for industrialisation, investment, job creation and regional economic transformation, providing Botswana with a dependable export route to global markets while deepening economic cooperation between the two neighbouring countries.