The Namibian (Windhoek)

Namibia: Another Break Delays Opening of Walvis Railway

By Adam Hartman, 5 December 2012

TRANSNAMIB suffered another blow after a 12-metre section was ripped from the railway line in Walvis Bay.

This comes shortly after the rail carrier suffered damage totalling more than N$65 million on Saturday when a train derailed at a broken section of the line at Dune 7.

The second accident will delay the reopening the railway line that links Walvis Bay with the rest of the country. The line was supposed to be reopened yesterday.

The latest incident at Walvis Bay was in the vicinity of the bridge linking the townÂ’s centre and Kuisebmond, near the fisheries area and the oil depots.

The discovery of the break only came to light yesterday while the line behind Dune 7 was being repaired.

The Dune 7 break in the railway apparently was caused by a truck that got stuck on the rails late Friday evening. A section of the line was removed in order to get the truck off the rail.

According to the acting CEO of TransNamib, Eugenia Tjaronda, the latest incident was caused by another truck which “ripped out a piece of the rail”.

Early Saturday morning two locomotives pulling 17 wagons transporting manganese to the Walvis Bay harbour derailed because of the broken line at Dune 7.

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