Transnet, Botswana Railways to Send RFP on Mmamabula-Lephalale Project
Chamwe Kaira
Transnet and its partner on the Mmamabula-Lephalale rail link, Botswana Railways plan to send a Request for Proposal (RFP) on the project after the complexion of the Request for Information (RFI)/Expression of Interest (EOI).
Transnet said in a response to questions that after going to the market for a Request for Information (RFI)/Expression of Interest (EOI), which will now be followed by a Request for Proposal (RFP), which is still to be sent out after completion of RFI/EOI.
Transnet said once this process has been completed, details of the successful bidder for the RFP will be announced as well as other relevant details.
“The process is currently at the EOI Stage, and the construction will only start after completion of the RFP process. The timelines have a lot of dependencies. However, every effort is being made to accelerate the project,” Transnet said.
Transnet said the project is a regional integration project that is aimed at unlocking Botswana’s mineral resources through the establishment of a new railway corridor, which will link the mines in Botswana to South Africa’s ports.
“The project will facilitate economic trade between other SADC countries as well through the transportation of bulk commodities, containerized goods and fast-moving consumables.”
Botswana Railways and Transnet have gone on the market to seek funding and development of the proposed new railway corridor that will be underpinned by the construction of the new rail link between Mmamabula (Botswana) and Lephalale (South Africa).
The route of the proposed rail link will be approximately 113km long, with 68.9km located in Botswana and 44.1km located in South Africa.
The entire 68.9km in Botswana will be a greenfields development. In South Africa, 17.1km will be greenfields and 27km will be brownfields. The rail link will have a capacity of approximately 24 million tonnes per annum.
In order to unlock the full capacity of the Mmamabula-Lephalale Rail Link, the adjoining railway networks will have to be upgraded. For Transnet, this will include upgrading the lines in the Waterberg area, which will unlock 24 million tonnes per annum.
Furthermore, the Multiple Purpose Terminal (MPT) in the port of Richards Bay will have to be upgraded to ensure port capacity to accommodate Botswana volumes. For Botswana Railways, this will include upgrading the line from Morupule Coal Mine to Mmamabula (140 km) including building new crossing loops to accommodate additional volumes from the mine.
It has been estimated that the project will cost BWP3 billion or R4,11 billion, based on pre-feasibility estimates to execute the project, excluding bankable feasibility costs.
Botswana Railways and Transnet said in tender documents that they anticipate the development of the new railway corridor to increase the need for rolling stock (wagons and locomotives) to service customer needs. Botswana Railways and Transnet said they will be seeking partners to provide information on how to deal with the additional rolling stock requirements to support the rail link and the increased volumes.