Commuter Rail Project On The Cards In Namibia - Trans Auas Express (TAE)
As a brief background - Trans Auas Express (TAE) founded in 1994, drafted a project proposal to the Ministry of Works and Transport in 1996 for the establishment of a rail commuter service between Windhoek and Rehoboth to address road accidents and fatalities.
The road between Windhoek and Rehoboth road carries the highest number of commuters in Namibia on a daily basis. Rehoboth, situated 80km south of the capital has the highest percentage of the workforce employed in Windhoek due to the lack of employment opportunities in the town to cater for all.
The proposal was received well by the then Minister of Works, Late Hon. OV Plichta and presented the proposal to cabinet where it was endorsed in March of 1998. A pre-feasibility study was commissioned by the Ministry of Works and Transport and Bicon Namibia Consulting Engineers were appointed to produce a study. In 2002 the study was released and it concluded that the project would be feasible with all factors considered at that stage.
After the passing of Hon. Plichta, support for the project faded before a full feasibility study could be commissioned. Sadly, the full study never happened the project was halted due to financial constraints.
The project was revived in November 2012 and talks with the Ministry of Works and Transport and Trans Namib were initiated. Since 2012, TAE has had various meetings with officials at the Ministry of Works and Transport, including three Ministers and their Permanent Secretaries, today known as Executive Directors and various departmental directors, all of whom have indicated support for the project.
In 2018, upon advice received from the Director of railways, TAE met with the PPP Unit of the Ministry of Finance who at the time indicated that Trans Namib needs to determine the position of all stakeholders within the project, while at the same time indicating that there was no formal procedure on how to deal with unsolicited proposals.
Trans Namib was subsequently engaged to determine the need for such a project and agreed that the need exists as already agreed upon in 2014 when an NDA was signed with the national rail carrier.
Based on recommendations, TAE in 2019 drafted the terms of reference which were provided to Trans Namib and once more engaged the PPP Unit, with the same outcome...
Trans Auas Express has outlined its current stance on the project and provided it to all stakeholders:
TAE has a standing cabinet endorsement for the project obtained in 1998 TAE has invested in this project for a total period of 15 years not including the time the project was in remission The Bicon pre-feasibility study indicates the project is feasible (2002) Element Consulting Engineers (Cape Town), appointed by TAE prepared a feasibility summary at risk indicating the feasibility of the project (2015) and these findings were presented to Trans Namib and the Ministry of Works A partnership proposal between Trans Namib and Trans Auas has been discussed We have indicated that TAE will source 100% funding for this project with no expectation from the Government or Trans Namib whilst further proposing a PPP with Trans Namib as rail custodian This project connects with the Urban Transport Masterplan TAE wishes to make use of the current infrastructure available with the addition of a new station in Rehoboth and other trackside developments The initial CAPEX of the project indicated by Element Consulting is N$ 570 million but excludes amendments to the initial proposal as well as the option to electrify the line using solar power which we intend to add to the new feasibility studies TAE can source its own funding for the preparation of pre-feasibility and feasibility studies as well as business plans and environmental impact assessments. The potential for job creation for this project is not only limited to permanent jobs but also thousands of part-time jobs in the construction and other industries The project also aims to minimize costs for the Roads Authority on road maintenance as the number of vehicles travelling on the road will be reduced as well as the MVA fund in terms of claims lodged against the fund for road accidents. Trans Namib as the rail custodian can benefit through a shareholding agreement as well as additional agreements for maintenance on rolling stock and skills training.
“We are proud citizens of our country who have the interests of our people and our economy at heart. With investment interest on hand, Trans Auas Express has no doubt that this project will be beneficial to the country, its people and the economy. With all this pertinent and critical information, it is surprising that this project is not getting the necessary attention it deserves. Our hope is that this project will finally come to fruition in 2021, after more than two decades of investing resources,” states Bradley Ferreira.
