Windhoek: TransNamib has secured funding to procure new locomotives after reaching financial close with the Development Bank of Southern Africa and the Development Bank of Namibia, marking a significant step towards modernising the country's ageing rail fleet. TransNamib Chief Executive Officer Desmond van Jaarsveld announced the development on Thursday during the public enterprises engagement with President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, saying the procurement process would soon return to the Central Procurement Board of Namibia after last year's tender was cancelled.
According to Namibia Press Agency, Van Jaarsveld identified ageing rail infrastructure and rolling stock as the two biggest constraints hampering the parastatal's operations, stressing that both challenges must be addressed simultaneously to improve efficiency and expand freight capacity. He welcomed the government's ongoing investment in rail infrastructure, particularly the completion of the Walvis Bay-Karasburg railway rehabilitation project, which he described as a major improvement in safety and operational efficiency.
Van Jaarsveld emphasized that priority should now be given to rehabilitating the Karasburg-Otjiwarongo, Otjiwarongo-Gobabis, and Otavi-Grootfontein rail corridors to unlock new freight opportunities. He said the Grootfontein corridor is especially important, as TransNamib is working with the Walvis Bay Corridor Group and the Namibian Ports Authority on plans to establish a dry port to handle cargo from Zambia via an intermodal transport system.
The initiative, he said, would shift more freight from road to rail while easing pressure on Namibia's road network. Van Jaarsveld also highlighted a recently launched marble transportation project at Karibib, which is expected to remove about 700 truck trips from the roads every month by transporting marble blocks by rail.
Despite the progress, he said, government financial support remains critical as TransNamib implements its approved five-year Integrated Strategic Business Plan. Van Jaarsveld said the shortage of operational locomotives continues to limit the company's ability to capitalise on available business opportunities, adding that 80% of TransNamib's fleet is older than 50 years.
'I need eight locomotives today to move manganese from the Northern Cape to the port of Lderitz. Business that you need, I can't take, because I don't have the rolling stock,' Van Jaarsveld said.