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Namibia – Feasibility Study for the Trans-Zambezi Railway Extension of 775 kms Grootfontein – Rundu – Katima Mulilo

Namibia – Feasibility Study for the Trans-Zambezi Railway Extension of 775 kms Grootfontein – Rundu – Katima Mulilo (African Development Bank Funded )

Detailed Narrative Description of Project:

The proposed Trans -Zambezi extension from Grootfontein – Rundu – Katima Mulilo will directly link the Namibian railways with Zambia while also facilitating connectivity with Angola and Southern DRC. Securing Namibia’s position as a regional hub is the main motivating objective for this study with expectations that the Trans-Zambezi extension will spur transborder traffic to/from Walvis Bay from neighbouring countries.

The overall objective of the assignment was to research and analyse data and information pertaining to the project and provide to the Ministry of Works and Transport adequate strategic, economic and technical information on the project feasibility. Key features of the project include:

• Alignment length – 775.00 Km
• Important Bridges – 2 number (span more than 50m long)
• Okawango River- 220m long; and Kwando River- 120m long
• Major Bridges / ROBs – Approx. 13 number (span > 6 to < 50m)
• Kokasib River- 30m long; Nadonga River- 12m long; and Omatako River- 12m long
• Minor Bridges / RUBs – Approx. 430 number (span up to 6m long)
• Eco Crossings- 14 number (Width 30m, Length 130m)

 

Scope of Work 

• Conducted Inception Mission and In-Country stakeholder consultations with public and private parties
• Conducted field missions to Angola, Zambia, and Botswana to determine regional freight potential and map regional transport/railway developments as an input to the travel demand model
• Route options assessment from Grootfontein to Katima Mulilo via Rundu and selection of preferred option based on multi-criteria analysis
• Carried out topographic, geotechnical and hydrological survey;
• Established design criteria for rail, road, traffic and structures;
• Designed the following inclusive of climate resiliency and environmental principles as well as to AREMA, European Standards and other international norms:
• Railway Alignment
• Structures
• Major/Minor bridges
• River Crossings
• Eco/animal crossings
• Culverts
• Signalling (Electronic Interlocking System)
• Telecommunication (Fibre Optics)
• Stations
• Assessment of railway operations and maintenance including:
• Rolling stock requirements and features
• Rail operations modelling to determine freight train configurations and number of daily trains
• Operating infrastructure requirement for both current as well as medium and long-term traffic requirements
• Equipment requirements and maintaining fixed assets
• Requirements for locomotive and wagon maintenance workshops
• Bill of quantities for:
• Permanent way material
• Formation (earthworks)
• Structures
• Workshop, Tools and Plants, and Electrical
• Contingencies and general charges
• Unit rates and capital cost estimates
• Operating, maintenance and lifecycle cost estimates
• Project drawings
• Assessment of inter-operability with Namibia’s current rail network
• Technical and commercial assessment of railway electrification with preliminary cost estimates
• Regional traffic assignment modelling using a non-linear optimisation methodology to develop 50-year traffic forecasts
• Traffic forecasts took into consideration COVID-19 impacts to trade and time to recovery
• Breakdown of 50-year traffic forecasts by commodity and origin-destination
• Financial model developed in Microsoft Excel with the following inputs (which were also prepared):
• Tariff Estimate
• Capital expenditure schedule during construction period
• Capital renewals over 50-year forecast period
• Operations and maintenance costs over 50-year forecast period
• Initial and incremental rolling stock purchases
• Financial valuation including estimating project returns
• Economic model developed in Microsoft Excel with the following inputs (which were also prepared):
• Economic benefits including road transport cost savings and reduced road maintenance costs
• Removing indirect taxes, duties and subsidies from economic costs
• Conversion factors for railway costs
• Economic valuation including an estimate of economic returns
• Prepared an environmental and social scoping assessment of the greenfield railway line which was informed by field investigations of the lines to identify impacts to parameters such as climate, topography/geology, vegetation and habitat, fauna and socio-economy
• Identified and prepared mitigation measures to impacts such as land clearing, impacts from construction activities, water resources, wetlands, wildlife corridors, involuntary settlement, employment, and heritage and cultural sites
• The greenfield railway line traverses the Bwabwata national park – known for its elephant (and other animal) migration. We prepared designs for 14 eco-crossings along the national parks to promote the safe crossing of animals
• Climate assessment by quantifying the net impact to Namibia and the region’s Greenhouse Gas inventory by introducing the railway line
• Public-Private Partnership model developed in Microsoft Excel with the following inputs (which were also prepared):
• Designating fixed infrastructure responsibilities between the public and private sector
• Designating operating and maintenance responsibilities
• Designating concession fees/access charges to the State and the State’s payback period
• Determining private sector returns and the viability/bankability of the project
• Detailed risk register including developing mitigation measures and assigning primary and secondary responsibility for the risks identified
• Environmental and social assessment including:
• Identifying section-wise environmental and social sensitivities
• Mitigation impacts for adverse impacts
• Detailed assessment of parcels of land to be acquired and properties that are affected by involuntary resettlement along with cost estimates for both
• Legal and regulatory assessment for implementing the project, including:
• Implementation under the Public Private Partnership Act of 2017
• Public Procurement Act
• Namibia’s National Transport Policy
• National Transport Services Holding Company Act
• Expropriation under the Namibian Constitution Act, 38 of 1998
• Environmental Management Act 7 of 2007
• Detailed Front-end planning to guide the Ministry in the next steps towards developing the railway line
• Terms of Reference for preparing Front-end Engineering Designs (FEED)