Botswana Railways eyes overhaul amidst crippled operations

Friday, January 16, 2026 | 450 Views |

Plans afoot: Botswana Railways has a new chair and CEO tasked with overseeing the turnaround PIC: KENNEDY RAMOKONE

Botswana Railways (BR) has unveiled plans for a major overhaul of operations, after revealing that only 12% of its current wagon fleet is operational while just 26% of its locomotives are in service.

In a candid update to stakeholders this week, the rail utility said due to the challenges, freight tonnage is reported to stand at 521,000 tonnes against a period target of 935,000 tonnes and operational costs continue to exceed income generation, resulting in persistent monthly deficits.

BR is also struggling with an increasingly aged creditor book, which further affects cashflows.

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