2.0 THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE NAMIBIAN RAILWAY NETWORK
2.1 THE RAIL HISTORY UNTIL THE 1990s
2.1.1 THE GERMAN PERIOD: 1895-1915
Railway building in Namibia began with some smaller mining rail lines in 1895 but only with full force in 1897 when the German Colonial Authority launched the project to build the "Staatsbahn" (state railway) from Swakopmund to Windhoek (383 km). By 1902 the line was completed. It was the rinderpest of 1897 which forced the realisation of this project. But, not only economic but also political arguments initiated the development of railways in SWA. Already in 1896 Leutwein wrote to the German Chancellor: "not the unlimited increase of the Schutztruppe but the construction of railway lines" should be used to strengthen the German power base in the colonies. The South African Prime Minister, Cecil Rhodes, is said to have remarked: "In the colonies railways are cheaper than canons and have a greater range".
By 1906 a second line to Otavi and Tsumeb was commissioned with a branch line to Grootfontein in 1908. The Otavi railway line had a higher structural standard than the state railway line between Swakopmund and Windhoek (15 ‰ against 22 ‰ longitudinal slope; 150 m against 60 m minimum radius; 15 kg/m against 9 kg/m rail mass; 120 PS against 4 PS locomotive power; 90 t against 45 t net mass per train). A southern system from Lüderitz reached Aus in 1906 and Keetmanshoop and Karasburg in 1908 and 1909 respectively. The new railway reduced the transport rates from Lüderitz to Keetmanshoop from 30 Mark per 500 kg to 9 Mark. In 1912 the Windhoek-Mariental-Keetmanshoop line was completed linking the two systems [7]. Further information regarding these railway lines is shown hereafter (table 1):
TABLE 1: NAMIBIAN RAILWAY LINES IN THE GERMAN PERIOD| ITEM | GAUGE mm | RAILWAY LINE | DATE BUILT | DISTANCE km |
| 1. | 610 |
Cape Cross Mine Railway | 1895/96 |
20 |
| 2. | 610 |
Walvis Bay Railway: Port-Rooikop | 1898/99 |
18 |
| 3. | 610 and 1 067 |
State Railway: North:
Swakopmund - Windhoek: converted to 1 067 mm: Windhoek-Karibib Swakopmund-Karibib |
1897-1902 1910-1911 1915-1920 |
383 188 187 |
| 4. | 610 |
Otavi Railway (O.M.E.G.):
Swakopmund-Otavi-Tsumeb Otavi-Grootfontein converted to 1 067 mm |
1903-1906 1907-1908 `1959-1960 |
567 91 |
| 5. | 610 |
Amboland Railway:
Otjiwarongo-Outjo (not completed: only to km 26) |
1914-1915 | 26 |
| 6. | 1 067 |
Southern Railway: Lüderitz-Seeheim-Keetmanshoop Seeheim-Kalkfontein Süd (Karasburg) | 1905-1908 1908-1909 |
366 180 |
| 7. | 1 067 |
State Railway: South: Windhoek-Keetmanshoop |
1910-1912 |
506 |
| 8. | 610 |
PRIVATE RAILWAYS: | ||
| 8.1 | Kolmanskop-Bogenfels | 1909-1913 |
119 |
|
| 8.2 | Lüderitz-Schmidtfeld | 1913 |
4 |
|
| 8.3 | Kolmanskop-Charlottental | 1920 ± |
7 |
|
| 8.4 | Copper Mine Railway at Guchab | ? |
? |
|
| 8.5 | City Railway: Swakopmund | 1896-1906 |
? |
|
| 8.6 | Harbour Railway Lüderitz | 1904-1906 |
? |
|
| 8.7 | Swakopvalley Railway: Richthofen - Husab: not built(1915) |
35 | ||
| 8.8 | Connecting Railway: Garub | 1903 | 2,4 |
|
| 8.9 | City Railway Windhoek | 1902 | 5 |
|
| 8.10 | Connection Railway: Rehoboth - Rehoboth Station | 1912 |
12 | |
| 8.11 | Karibib Marble Quarry | ? |
12 |
|
| 8.12 | Arandis - Khan Mine | 1911 |
11 |
|
| 8.13 | Kalkfeld Iron Mine | 1905 |
16 |
|
| 8.14 | Tsumeb Mine Rail | ? |
0 |
"Zwillings" Lokomotives near Pforte, 1898
Namibia National Archives
Station Khan, 1902
Namibia National Archives
Station Abbabis, 1902
Namibia National Archives
Station Jakkalswater (Jakalswater), 1903
Namibia National Archives
Swakop Bridge, east of Okahandja, 1902
Namibia National Archives
Station Okahandja, 1903
Namibia National Archives
The Railway Station Johann Albrechts Höhe, west of Okahandja,
1904
Namibia National Archives
The destroyed Railway Station Waldau, west of Okahandja, 1905
Namibia National Archives
Usakos Station: Visit of Governor von Lindequist, 1905
Namibia National Archives
Construction of the Otavi Railway Line, around 1905/06
Namibia National Archives
Inauguration of the Etiro River-Bridge: Christmas 1905
Namibia National Archives
Construction of the Otavi Railway Line: Rainy Season 1906
Namibia National Archives
Omaruru Station: Rainy Season 1906
Namibia National Archives
Construction of the Lüderitz Railway Line: Lüderitz - Aus: 1905/06: This railway line is built with concentration camp labour from Shark Island near Lüderitz, without recourse to proper nutrition and medical facilities. The statistics of the railway project is frightening. According to numbers kept in the records of the German Colonial Administration, a total of 2 014 concentration camp prisoners were used for the railway construction between January 1906 and June 1907. From these prisoners 1 359 died while working on the line: a 67% mortality rate. This means that every hundred metres of the railway line from Lüderitz to Aus account for one dead Namibian Shark Island prisoner.
Namibia National Archives
Lüderitz Railway Line: Lüderitz - Aus: West of Aus: 1905/06
Namibia National Archives
Garub Station at the Aus to Lüderitz Railway Line (currently
under Re-construction) which was built between December 1905 and November 1906: 30 km west
of Aus: Karas Region: August 2002
Copyright of Photo: Dr. Klaus Dierks
The "Garub Water Railway Line" which provided the
Water for the Construction of the Aus to Lüderitz Railway Line: with German Writer
Jürgen Leskien: August 2002: Karas Region
Copyright of Photo: Dr. Klaus Dierks
The "Garub Water Railway Line": Karas Region
Copyright of Photos: Dr. Klaus Dierks
Aus to Lüderitz Railway Line: Near Kolmanskop: km 300 (from
Keetmanshoop: 20 km from Lüderitz): The "End of Road" has not been reaches as
yet: From 2003 onwards the Line will be rebuilt
Copyright of Photos: Dr. Klaus Dierks
Aus to Lüderitz Railway Line: Station Grasplatz: km 296 (24 km
from Lüderitz)
Copyright of Photos: Dr. Klaus Dierks
Aus to Lüderitz Railway Line: km 290 (approx. 30 km from
Lüderitz): Status: August 2002
Copyright of Photos: Dr. Klaus Dierks
Aus to Lüderitz Railway Line: approx. km 290 (approx. 30 km
from Lüderitz): The 12 km Section from approx. km 290 to approx. km 300 is crossing a
heavy Sand Dune Section: New innovative Engineering Solutions have to be found for the
Rebuilding of this Railway Section (Phase 2: Haalenberg-Lüderitz): One Solution is the
Stabilisation of the Sand Dunes (See Photo: Test Stabilisation): Others are Tunnelling,
the Lifting of the Gradeline with appropriate Crossections or alternative Alignments
Copyright of Photo: Dr. Klaus Dierks
Aus to Lüderitz Railway Line: km 252: Starting Point of Phase 1
of the Re-Construction of the Railway Line: Aus-Haalenberg: View to the West: Direction
Haalenberg
Copyright of Photos: Dr. Klaus Dierks
Aus to Lüderitz Railway Line: km 252: Construction of Railbed:
New Rails on right Side: View to the East: Direction Station Tsaukaib (Tsau||kaib: Nama:
Heavy Soft Sand)
Copyright of Photos: Dr. Klaus Dierks
Aus to Lüderitz Railway Line: km 252: Construction of B Layer
(A Layer and Sub-Ballast to follow): View to the West: Direction Haalenberg: Progress to
Date: August 2002
Copyright of Photos: Dr. Klaus Dierks
Aus to Lüderitz Railway Line: km 185: West of Aus: Removal of
old German "Krupp-Rails", nearly 100 Years old: View to the West: Direction
Garub: Progress to Date: September 2002
Copyright of Photo: Dr. Klaus Dierks
Aus to Lüderitz Railway Line: km 189 + 400: West of Aus: Old
German Steel Bridge: Progress to Date: September 2002
Copyright of Photo: Dr. Klaus Dierks
Aus to Lüderitz Railway Line: km 190: West of Aus: The old
German Steel Sleepers are stacked: View to the West: Progress to Date: September
2002
Copyright of Photo: Dr. Klaus Dierks
Aus to Lüderitz Railway Line: km 195: West of Aus: Station
Ausweiche, where the steep Ascent to Aus Nek commences: September 2002
Copyright of Photo: Dr. Klaus Dierks
Aus to Lüderitz Railway Line: km 200: Border between Farming
Area west of Aus and the "Diamond Sperrgebiet": September 2002
Copyright of Photo: Dr. Klaus Dierks
Aus to Lüderitz Railway Line: km 180 - km 183: West of Aus
(Beginning of new Construction at Aus Station: km 179,423 from Keetmanshoop): Completed
Layer Works to Sub Ballast Layer: Progress to Date: October 2004
Copyright of Photos: Dr. Klaus Dierks
Aus to Lüderitz Railway Line: km 181: West of Aus (Beginning of
new Construction at Aus Station: km 179,423 from Keetmanshoop): Completed Layer Works to
Sub Ballast Layer: Progress to Date: October 2004
Copyright of Photo: Dr. Klaus Dierks
Aus to Lüderitz Railway Line: Between km 186 and km 200:
Sub-Ballast is completed: View to the West: Direction Ausweiche and Garub: October
2004
Copyright of Photos: Dr. Klaus Dierks
Garub Station at the Aus to Lüderitz Railway Line (currently
under Re-construction) which was built between December 1905 and November 1906: 30 km west
of Aus: Karas Region
Copyright of Photo: Dr. Klaus Dierks
Garub Station at the Aus to Lüderitz Railway Line which was
built between December 1905 and November 1906: 30 km west of Aus: completed Sub-Ballast
Layer: View to the West in Direction Haalenberg: Karas Region: October 2004
Copyright of Photo: Dr. Klaus Dierks
Garub Station at the Aus to Lüderitz Railway Line which was
built between December 1905 and November 1906: 30 km west of Aus: completed Sub-Ballast
Layer: View to the South: Karas Region: October 2004
Copyright of Photo: Dr. Klaus Dierks
Garub Station at the Aus to Lüderitz Railway Line which was
built between December 1905 and November 1906: 30 km west of Aus: completed Sub-Ballast
Layer: View to the East in Direction Ausweiche: Karas Region: October 2004
Copyright of Photo: Dr. Klaus Dierks
Construction of the Lüderitz Railway Line: Aus- Seeheim: Fish
River Bridge near Seeheim: 1907/08
Namibia National Archives
Fish River Railway Bridge at Seeheim: Seeheim-Aus Railway Line:
2002
Copyright of Photos: Dr. Klaus Dierks
Construction of the Lüderitz Railway Line: Aus- Seeheim:
1907/08
Namibia National Archives
Official Opening of the Lüderitz Railway Line: Aus- Seeheim:
1908
Namibia National Archives
Wash-aways: Lüderitz Railway Line: near Seeheim: Rainy Season
1914
Namibia National Archives
Railway Bridge over Holoog River: Railway Line: Grünau-Seeheim: 2002
Copyright of Photos: Dr. Klaus Dierks
TransNamib Train at Seeheim Station: Karas Region: 2002
Copyright of Photo: Dr. Klaus Dierks
Grünau: Railway Line: Grünau-Seeheim: View to the West, 1977
Copyright of Photo: Dr. Klaus Dierks
The Station Building Windhoek: 1910
Namibia National Archives
Broadening of the Windhoek-Karibib Railway Line: 1910/11
Namibia National Archives
Station Okahandja: 1911
Namibia National Archives
Three Rail Traffic between Windhoek and Karibib during
Broadening: 1911
Namibia National Archives
North South Railway Line: south of Windhoek: around 1910
Namibia National Archives
Railway Bridge: Asab River: Hardap Region, September 2002
Copyright of Photos: Dr. Klaus Dierks
North South Railway Line: Station Rehoboth: 1912/13
Namibia National Archives
Tunnel at Kruin: North South Railway Line: 1914
Namibia National Archives
North South Railway Line: near Keetmanshoop: 1914
Namibia National Archives
North Railway Line: Station Keetmanshoop: 1914
Namibia National Archives
Station Windhoek during World War One: 1914
South African Prisoners-of-War in Windhoek during World War One:
1914
Namibia National Archives
German Prisoners-of-War in Otavifontein during World War One:
1915
Namibia National Archives
Electrical Diamond Railway near Lüderitz 1914
Namibia National Archives
The German "Schutztruppe" blasts sections of the
Lüderitz Railway, 1914
Namibia National Archives
2.1.2 THE SOUTH AFRICAN PERIOD: 1915-1989
The South African additions were the sections Nakop-Karasburg (linking with the South African System in the north-western Cape) and Walvis Bay - Swakopmund (39 km) in 1914 which were built during and just after the occupation of "German South West Africa" by the Union of South Africa in the First World War. The railway line from Otjiwarongo to Outjo which the Germans had already begun, with the objective to connect the Owambo regions with the southern ones, was only completed by the South Africans as far as Outjo in 1921, thus thwarting the original idea of this important transport link. The railway line Windhoek-Gobabis was completed in 1930. Plans to extend this line through the Kalahari to the east were not in the interest of the colonial power and never materialised. This will be furthermore outlined below. Thus, of the total system about 418 km or 16% originates from the South African era. 2.160 km (not considering the many city, connection and private railway lines: See above table) were built by the German colonial administration until 1915. However, the Nakop - Karasburg and Walvis Bay - Swakopmund lines were significant. The former turned Namibia's external trade from an ocean orientation to a basically land-locked one while the latter shifted the main port from Swakopmund to Walvis Bay [8].
Station Windhoek after World War One: 1918/19: German Soldiers
are repatriated
Namibia National Archives
The legal basis for the operation of the Namibian railways under South African control was the Act No.20 of 1922 which provided that the railway and harbours in the then territory of "South-West Africa" as they existed on the 10th of January 1920, should as from that date be transferred to and vested in the Governor-General of the (South African) Union and should be controlled, managed and worked by the Railway Administration of the Union as part of the South African railway system.
Station Kranzberg (between Usakos and Karibib) after World War
One: Traffic on Two Track Widths: Cape Track and 600 mm track of the Otavi Railway Line
Namibia National Archives
Station Karibib: in the Twenties: South African Railways
Namibia National Archives
South African Railways: Otavi Branch: around 1930
Namibia National Archives
South African Railway: Railway Bridge at Swakopmund: before the
Destruction by the Swakop Flood of 1931
Namibia National Archives
This law was questioned by the League of Nations, followed by years of dispute about the issue "who is the legal owner of the Namibian railways". This culminated in an address of the Administrator of "South-West-Africa", A.J. Werth, to the Mandates Commission of the League of Nations in 1928 where it was stated that "Mr. Werth was also asked to explain the attitude of the Union Government in claiming full dominion over the South West African railway system. Mr. Werth claimed that while the Union had charge of these railways they must be vested with full ownership as otherwise they could not make purchases, establish policies, and properly conduct the system, but that if at any time the combination of the South African and South West African railways would be abolished or the Mandate revoked, the dominion or ownership of the railways would be immediately relinquished". Under the pressure of the League of Nations the South African Government was obliged to amend the "South West Africa Railways and Harbours Act, 1922" by Act No.9 of 1930 where it was stipulated that Act 22 should be carried only "subject to the Mandate issued by the Council of the League of Nations in pursuance of Article 22 of the Treaty of Versailles" [9].
This Amendment Act No.9 of 1930 to Act 20 of 1922 is of great importance, although subsequently it was ignored by the South African authorities. In the light of the threatening of drastic steps by the former colonial administration in the late 1980s, before the Namibian independence, to retrench and dismantle railway lines (Seeheim-Lüderitz, Ondekaremba-Gobabis and Otjiwarongo-Outjo, which are all "East-West Transport Links"), this Act had considerable importance before independence.
The former Interim's Government of Namibia has transformed the Namibian railways and adjacent transport means into a state-owned corporation "National Transport Corporation" which came into being on 1 July 1988. The name of the corporation was changed to "TransNamib Limited (TNL)" with effect from 1 July 1989. This institution was taken over by the Republic of Namibia on 21 March 1990.
Nostalgic Steam Traction in Namibia (TransNamib)(Union Limited
Steam Rail): Two 19D Steam Locomotives by TransNet (South Africa): August 2004: Station
Otjihavera
Copyright of Photos: Dr. Klaus Dierks
2.2 THE CURRENT NAMIBIAN RAIL SYSTEM
Namibia's rail network now consists of 2 382 route-km of tracks of 1 067 mm gauge. The main railway line runs north-south from the town of Upington in the north-western Cape, entering the country near the small border station of Nakop. A branch line goes to the small Namibian harbour of Lüderitz while the main line continues northwards through the towns of Keetmanshoop and Mariental to Windhoek, 865 km from Nakop. A second main line through Usakos and Swakopmund connects the Namibian capital of Windhoek to the country's major port of Walvis Bay. Another branch line from Windhoek goes eastward to the livestock town of Gobabis. The essentially south west-north east spine from Walvis Bay joins the main line from the south through Windhoek at Kranzberg/Usakos junction and runs north through Otjiwarongo to the mining and farming towns of Outjo, Grootfontein and Tsumeb. The non-extension of the railway beyond Outjo, Grootfontein and Tsumeb, the northern terminals, may be an impediment to the agricultural development of the areas of the north and the north-east in the Owambo regions and the Okavango with the highest rainfalls in the country.
The present railway system of the Republic of Namibia is pictured in the following tables:
TABLE 2: THE PRESENT RAILWAY SYSTEM IN NAMIBIA
| RAILWAY LINES | ROUTE (km) |
| Nakop - Karasburg - Grünau - Seeheim - Keetmanshoop - Mariental - Rehoboth - Windhoek | 865 |
| Windhoek - Okahandja - Karibib - Kranzberg | 210 |
| Kranzberg - Usakos - Swakopmund - Walvis Bay | 201 |
| Kranzberg - Omaruru - Kalkfeld - Otjiwarongo - Otavi | 328 |
| Otavi - Tsumeb | 64 |
| Otavi - Grootfontein | 91 |
| Otjiwarongo - Outjo | 69 |
| Windhoek (Gammams) - International Airport - Omitara - Witvley - Gobabis | 228 |
| Seeheim - Goageb - Aus - Lüderitz | 318 |
TABLE 3: NAMIBIA RAILWAY SYSTEM: TECHNICAL DATA, 1981
STAGE |
DATE OF COMPLETION |
AXLE LOAD LIMIT (kg) |
FREQUENCY OF SERVICE (NUMBER PER WEEK) |
||
GOODS |
MIXED |
PASSENGER | |||
| Nakop - Karasburg | 1915 |
16.000* |
120 |
14 |
4 |
| Karasburg - Seeheim - Keetmanshoop | 1909 |
16.000* |
120 |
14 |
4 |
| Seeheim - Aus | 1908 |
15.000 |
14 |
4 |
- |
| Aus - Lüderitz | 1906 |
11.500 |
2 |
4 |
- |
| Keetmanshoop - Mariental | 1912 |
16.000* |
120 |
14 |
4 |
| Mariental - Windhoek | 1912 |
16.000* |
130 |
14 |
4 |
| Windhoek - Gobabis | 1930 |
11.500 |
22 |
- |
- |
| Windhoek - Usakos | 1902 |
15.000* |
116 |
20 |
7 |
| Usakos - Swakopmund | 1902 |
15.000* |
94 |
18 |
7 |
| Swakopmund - Walvis Bay | 1980** |
18.500 |
94 |
18 |
7 |
| Usakos - Otjiwarongo | 1906 |
15.000 |
102 |
10 |
- |
| Otjiwarongo - Otavi | 1906 |
15.000 |
64 |
6 |
- |
| Otavi - Tsumeb | 1906 |
15.000 |
6 |
- |
- |
| Otavi - Grootfontein | 1908 |
15.000 |
22 |
6 |
- |
| Otjiwarongo - Outjo | 1921 |
15.000 |
34 |
- |
- |
The operating agency of the Namibian railways is the 100% state-owned company TransNamib Limited which is run independently from the Namibian Government on business principles. In 1991/92 the railways carried 159 337 passengers and 1,70 millions t (1 681 498 millions t in 1992/93) of freight. The train km were 4 078 305 km (4 758 059 km for locomotives) for 1992/93.
One of the great challenges for Namibia is the turning around of the current principal orientation of the transport axes from an disadvantageous south-north orientation to an east-west one. In the light of this statement the intended retrenchment of east-west railway lines by the South African authorities before independence has a special meaning. In contrast to South African transport interests a new major railway link would be of a high significance for Namibia. This new link would be, as in the case of the Trans-Kalahari and Trans-Caprivi highways - which are now under construction and will be completed in less than three years -, the major East-West transportation axis from the Namibian Atlantic coast to the eastern neighbouring states of Botswana, Zimbabwe and Zambia. This project is since the last century under discussion, with different intensities and changing motives. This "Trans-Kalahari-Railway-Line" will be dealt with more specifically in the next chapter of this study.
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