Rail link between Botswana, Maputo mooted

This emerged at the Africa Down Under conference being held in Perth, Western Australia when it was highlighted in a presentation by junior miner Walkabout Resources which is looking at developing two coal projects in eastern Botswana.

Walkabout MD Alan Mulligan told delegates that access agreements had already been signed between the three countries over the route of the 1,100km heavy haul railway line.

The line would start from the eastern Botswana town of Serule and end at a new deep-water port to be built near Maputo at Technobanine point in the district of Matutuine.

A number of private consortiums are looking at funding and building the line of which one is believed to be Chinese.

Details of the project have been kept well below the radar screen so far. There was a brief statement released in Mozambique on July 21 on the signing of the agreement between Mozambique and Botswana which was not widely reported.

According to that statement the arrangement of finance for the project was scheduled for completion by the end of 2011 with the first phase of construction due to start between 2012 and 2015.

Construction of such a line would have major benefits for companies wanting to operate on the coal fields located in eastern Botswana as well coal projects proposed for Zimbabwe.

It seems a heavy haul connecting line will be built through to the coal rich Hwange region of Zimbabwe while the main line will run close to a number of projects proposed for coal fields in southern Zimbabwe.

Mulligan said he believed the line was so important that the Botswana government should play an active role in its development and participate in an underwriting package.

- MiningMX