African Development Bank funds to upgrade rail, road networks in Namibia

WINDHOEK, Dec. 14 (Xinhua) -- The Board of the African Development Bank (AfDB) approved a loan of 153 million U.S. dollars to Namibia for the upgrade of a 210 km stretch of railway in the west of the country.

In a statement on Thursday, the AfDB said it will also finance the upgrade of a section of the road from the capital, Windhoek, to its international airport.

The two interventions are part of the priority projects identified in the government's Harambee Prosperity Plan, an action plan launched in April 2016, to support priority interventions identified in the government's national development plan.

The upgrading of the railway track between Walvis Bay and Kranzberg will speed up both freight and passenger traffic. The current railway line, of Cape Gauge standard, was last upgraded in the 1960s and, in its current condition with speed restrictions is an infrastructure bottleneck, resulting in increased transport costs.

The upgrading is particularly important because it will involve a direct linkage to Walvis Bay Port, and therefore will speed the passage of goods to and from the port into Namibia and beyond into other Southern African Development Community countries. The AfDB is also providing support in the expansion of the container terminal at Walvis Bay Port.

After improvement, freight trains will be able to travel at up to 80km/hr and passengers will enjoy speeds of up to 100km/hr. The rail upgrading work will be implemented over three years.

As to the road to the airport, which will be implemented over a period of 42 months, this will be a new dual carriageway with two lanes in each direction, and will incorporate an option for a third lane in the future, according to AfDB, Communications Officer, David Short. Enditem