Thursday 23 January 2014

New Railway to link Cape Fria to Katima Mulilo, Namibia

Namibian Government has completed a pre-feasibility study for the construction of the railway from Cape Fria to Katima Mulilo, at a cost of N$7 billion.

Mr. Peter Mwatile ,Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Works  and Transport  confirmed  that ,  the  Government is  in the process of mobilising financial resources to start the construction of the new railway.

When asked for comment whether the foregoing capital project was for the Caprivi/ Zambezi region, Mr. Mwatile responded, “The fact is, the railway line is not for Caprivi (Zambezi region), but rather for the Republic of Namibia.”

The envisaged railway line will connect to the existing railway network and the new Cape Fria harbor.

 He said it will also enable the inter connectivity within the SADC region as it will link Namibia with Zambia.“Currently, there is no railway line called Trans-Caprivi Railway line. However, the Government has the intention to develop a railway line from Cape Fria in Kunene Region via Omusati, Ohangwena, Kavango to Zambezi Region. It is also the Government’s intention to construct the harbour at Cape Fria.”

Asked to shed some lights on what caused the delay of the project , Works  and Transport Permanent Secretary refuted that “The project is not delayed; instead the Government wants to address all aspects supporting this project in relation to the development of the Cape-Fria harbour at the same time. “

 He added that,  harbour, road, water, power, housing, schooling, hospital and many other things are still to be considered by the government in order to start the railway project off the ground.

 The project will kick start when all aspects have been thoroughly dealt with and a proper modus operandi to implement the project agreed upon.

 According to the Feasibility Study, the railway line alone is estimated to cost   N$7 billion, as forecasted in 2010. Other components still need to be costed after detailed investigations and designs.

He further said that his Ministry had successfully completed more than 300 kilometers of railway from Tsumeb to Oshikango in the past.

The Cape Fria – Katima Mulilo railway would also extend the already existing rail network in Zambia that will avoid congested routes through Durban and Dares Salaam in Tanzania to enable Zambian minerals to be exported via the west-coast port.

A new port at Cape Fria near the Angolan border in the northern Namibia of Kunene region is the third port in the northern Namibia coastline which estimated to cost N$10billion , as now Namibia has two ports  such as Luderitz and Walvis Bay.

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