 Two TransNamibU20C (South African Class 33-400) diesel-electric locomotives haul a train south ofKeetmanshoop |
TransNamib Holdings Limited, commonly referred to asTransNamib, is astate-owned railway company inNamibia. Organised as aholding company, it provides both rail and road freight services, as well aspassenger rail services. Its headquarters are in the country’s capitalWindhoek.[1]
A first local railway was constructed in 1895 by theDamaraland Guano Company for commercial purposes. The first public railway, and the core of the present system, was constructed by theGerman colonial government. The 383 km connection betweenSwakopmund andWindhoek was inaugurated on June 19, 1902. The German colonial railway was taken over by the Railways of South Africa afterWorld War I, and linked into the network ofSouth Africa. After the independence of Namibia, TransNamib took control of the national rail network.
TransNamib operated 2,883 km of rail in 1995. Since then, further track has been added to the network through the Northern Extension. It operates on1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in)Cape gauge. While focus has been primarily on freight services, passenger services are an important component of TransNamib and provided under the Starline logo. The “Desert Express” was a tourist train that ceased operations in 2020.[1]
In early 2011, theKarasburg -Ariamsvlei mainline was damaged byflash floods, as was part of theSeeheim-Lüderitz line; services were suspended.[2]
Seeheim-Lüderitz
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