The procurement process for a feasibility study on the proposed Grootfontein–Katima Mulilo rail corridor is under evaluation and is expected to conclude before the end of July 2025, President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah has announced.
Speaking at the launch of Namibia’s 6th National Development Goal, Nandi-Ndaitwah said the study is aimed at assessing the technical and economic viability of constructing a railway line between Grootfontein and Katima Mulilo to strengthen trade links with the Zambezi Region and neighbouring countries.
“Procurement commenced on 10 April 2025 for a feasibility study on the Grootfontein–Katima Mulilo rail corridor and will close for evaluation during this month,” she said.
The feasibility study follows Cabinet approval in 2023 of the proposed rail project, which is expected to link Namibia’s existing railway network to Livingstone in Zambia.
The planned corridor is seen as a key step in facilitating regional trade by connecting Namibia with Zambia and, ultimately, other Southern African Development Community (SADC) countries.
In a related development, construction on another strategic railway line is set to begin soon. Contracts have been awarded for the Kranzberg–Tsumeb–Grootfontein route, with work scheduled to start on 1 August 2025.
The project forms part of a larger initiative to establish a cross-border railway connection linking the Copperbelt region in Zambia and the Democratic Republic of Congo to Namibia’s port of Walvis Bay.
Efforts to revitalise existing rail infrastructure are also underway. TransNamib began refurbishing locomotives and wagons in June 2025, following a Memorandum of Understanding signed in April with Windhoeker Maschinen Fabrik.
The national rail operator plans to spend N$311 million on rebuilding seven locomotives, which includes dismantling and overhauling each unit to extend its service life by another two decades.
