TransNamib revives Karibib Station

TransNamib Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Johny Smith says that they are on a mission to unlock the commercial value of every train station in the country. In what he coins as the “Stations Strategy”, Mr. Smith explains that the rail operator will start this approach by revitalising the station situated in Karibib.

Karibib has historically always been a station of strategic importance to the mining industry. The town owes its existence to the advent of railroad development between the coast and inland Namibia in the late 1800s.

TransNamib recognises mining‘s significant role in the economic development of Namibia. “The strategy for Karibib is to not only focus on its anchor commodity, the dimension stone, but rather accommodate other products mined in the area as well”, Mr. Smith says. While the station has been dormant for a while, TransNamib aims to attract rail friendly cargo volumes mined in the area for export through the Port of Walvis Bay.

Karibib and the surrounding areas are known for aragonite marble quarries and the Navachab Gold Mine. Dimension stones, which consist of natural rock materials, have increasingly become the mainstay of Karibib’s railway station. The stones, which are quarried for obtaining blocks or slabs, consist mainly of marble and granite.

Until recently, TransNamib has been transporting dimension stone for Namagra, whilst Best Cheer recently came on board as a new client. For the 2017/2018 financial year TransNamib transported 14,679 tons of marble and granite, which translates to approximately 524 containers moved for that year.

With the new clients, this figure is expected to grow to approximately 115,000 tons or 4,124 containers per annum.  According to Mr. Smith, the train plan for this already exists. “It now requires effective planning and efficiency in order to move the required volumes which are much needed for the growth of our revenue.”