Justicia Shipena
The government has spent over N$13 million on early-stage commuter rail plans linking Windhoek to Katutura and Rehoboth.
Works and transport minister Veikko Nekundi said feasibility studies for the two routes are underway.
He said the study so far stands at 30%.
“The consultancy services project for the feasibility study on commuter rail for two sections – Windhoek–Rehoboth and Windhoek–Katutura – within the Khomas and Hardap Regions is progressing well at 30%. A total of N$13 million has been spent so far,” Nekundi said.
The commuter rail project was first presented to investors at the Invest in Namibia Conference in 2016.
A study done in 2017 assessed the financial viability of the routes. The project is estimated to cost about N$2.8 billion.
The spending forms part of a larger rail development plan. The ministry has set aside N$952 million for railway development, upgrades and maintenance in the 2026/2027 financial year.
The Department of Transport has a total budget of N$2.07 billion. Of this, N$1.79 billion is for development projects and N$285 million is for operations.
Nekundi said the funding will support work across road, rail, air and maritime transport.
“The department of transport’s overall mandate is to ensure the provision of oversight functions over state-owned enterprises and engineering consultants in terms of transportation planning, construction, upgrading and maintenance of all four modes of transport,” he said.
The government has also committed funds to upgrade existing rail lines. Nekundi said the procurement for rail materials has exceeded N$1.7 billion.
This includes N$868.1 million for the Kranzberg–Otjiwarongo line and N$877.3 million for the Otjiwarongo–Tsumeb and Otavi–Grootfontein sections.
According to him, construction work is ongoing on several sections.
He said work between Kranzberg and Otjiwarongo has reached partial completion at a cost of over N$39 million.
Upgrades across 150 kilometres of rail network have been completed at a cost of N$89 million.
The Sandverhaar–Buchholzbrunn line upgrade is close to completion, with N$129.8 million spent.
Nekundi said the ministry plans more projects. He said these include upgrades on the Otjiwarongo–Tsumeb–Grootfontein line, construction of the Ondangwa–Oshakati railway, and feasibility studies for the Trans-Zambezi and Trans-Kalahari links.
Maintenance is also planned on routes such as Windhoek–Gobabis, Windhoek–Kranzberg and Ariamsvlei–Lüderitz.
“This programme will support the planning, construction, upgrading, and maintenance of railway infrastructure to stimulate socio-economic development,” Nekundi said.
He said transport investment is aimed at improving access to economic centres and strengthening regional links.
