China Gezhouba Group Corporation (CGGC) has announced completion of upgrade works on a 107.5km of line between Walvis Bay and Arandis in Namibia.
Renovations of the line is part of the country’s Vision 2030 strategy to increase transport capacity and drive economic development, as well as making the country a transport and logistics hub for neighbouring African countries.
Vision 2030 strategy
Walvis Bay – Arandis forms 53.2% of the 1067mm-gauge, 201km line running from Walvis Bay to Kranzberg, where it joins lines running south to the Namibian capital, Windhoek, and north to Otavi. Line speed was previously limited to 40km/h, but as a result of the upgrade it has now been increased to 80km/h.
Arandis is the location for a passing loop and while CGGC has undertaken modernisation of the section south from there to Walvis Bay, the upgrade work on the remaining northern section to Kranzberg is being undertaken under a separate contract by a joint venture of Qingjian Group and Unik Construction Engineering.
CGGC began work to rehabilitate and upgrade its section of the line in November 2020, having been awarded the 27-month contract at the end of 2019. The project however experienced a couple of delays including Covid-19 pandemic, weather conditions in the desert environment and materials shortages. The project which cost US $67.5M was 56% funded by the government while the rest came from loan from the African Development Bank. more than 500 local jobs was provided during the construction period.