Just a bit of info-spent some time googling Botswana rail lines. This first section is from the Nimrodel website about the Takatokwane project. Got me thinking about the "well maintained bitumen road".
Takatokwane is located just 195km from the Botswana capital, Gaborone, in the southern belt of the Central Kalahari Sub-Basin and is directly accessible by a well-maintained bitumen road. The area was previously drilled by BP Coal Botswana Exploration in the 1970’s and more recently, by Homeland Mining in 2008. Just a query. Road transport is not out of the question to the existing line in Gaborone. Obviously the best case scenario would be the rail line from mine to port but if the resource is proven and mining was to begin an option to road transport initially could be considered. Don't know where we would take it though-LOL Opinions? South Africa - Same gauge There is no direct connection with Namibia, but one does exist via South Africa, although an electrified railway connecting to Lüderitz, Namibia for coal traffic is/was scheduled to open in 2006. In August 2010, Mozambique and Botswana signed a memorandum of understanding to develop a 1100 km railway through Zimbabwe, to carry coal from Serule in Botswana to a deep-water port at Techobanine Point in Mozambique.[5]
Freight Services Botswana Railways’ (BR) Freight Service is the country's leading transport operator of bulk goods. The service was established way before the 1987 handover to Botswana Government by the National Railways of Zimbabwe. BR’s strategically laid rail network, coupled with good relationships that exist between ourselves and other rail operators such as Transnet Freight Rail (formerly Spoornet) in South Africa and the National Railways of Zimbabwe, makes our freight service the most convenient, reliable and cost effective mode of transport to use for moving bulk commodities. This does not only apply to imports and exports but also for transit freight within the SADC region and through to sea ports.
Our Freight service targets bulk commodities that may be “operationally challenging” for transporting by road. Currently the bulk commodities that we transport are driven by the mining industry, such as; copper (from BCL mine and Tati Nickel), soda ash and salt (from Botash), coal from Morupule Colliery and fuel (from fuel companies into Botswana). With the ongoing mineral explorations taking place in Botswana and the discovery of various mineral deposits in certain parts of the country (mainly coal), opportunities are there to grow our business.
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