Transportation in Botswana is provided by an extensive network of railways, highways, ferry services and air routes that criss-cross the country. The transport sector in Botswana played an important role in economic growth following its independence in 1966. The country discovered natural resources which allowed it to finance the development of infrastructure, and policy ensured that the transport sector grew at an affordable pace commensurate with demands for services.

Rail transport

Rail services are provided by Botswana Railways, with most routes radiating from

Gaborone Gaborone ( , , ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Botswana, largest city of Botswana, with a population of 246,325 based on the 2022 census, about 10% of the total population of Botswana. Its metropolitan area is home to 534, ...

. Botswana has the 93rd longest railway network in the world at 888 km, it is one of the busiest railways in Africa. The track gauge is 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) (

cape gauge A cape is a clothing accessory or a sleeveless outer garment of any length that hangs loosely and connects either at the neck or shoulders. They usually cover the back, shoulders, and arms. They come in a variety of styles and have been used th ...

). Botswana is an associate member of the

International Union of Railways The International Union of Railways (, UIC) is an international rail transport industry body based in Paris. History The railways of Europe had originated during the nineteenth century as many separate concerns across numerous nations; this le ...

(UIC).

Regional trains (BR Express)

Botswana Railways run 2 nightly passenger trains, one from

Lobatse Lobatse is a town in south-eastern Botswana, 70 kilometres south of the capital Gaborone, situated in a valley running north towards Gaborone and close to the border with South Africa. Lobatse has a population of 29,772 as of 2022. The town is ...

Francistown Francistown is the second-largest city in Botswana, with a population of about 103,417 inhabitants and 147,122 inhabitants in its agglomeration at the 2022 census. It is located in eastern Botswana, about north-northeast from the capital, Gabo ...

, and the other from Francistown to Lobatse, with stops in

Mahalapye Mahalapye is a town located in the Central District of Botswana Botswana, officially the Republic of Botswana, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. Botswana is topographically flat, with approximately 70 percent of its territory pa ...

Palapye Palapye is a growing town in Botswana, situated about halfway between Francistown and Gaborone ( from Francistown and from Gaborone). Over the years its position has made it a convenient stopover on one of Southern Africa's principal north–so ...

, and Serule. The passenger train is termed the "BR Express" ( Botswana Railways). Passenger services were suspended from 2009 to 2016, with the exception of an international link to Zimbabwe from Francistown. BR Express Interior

Commuter/suburban trains

In Botswana, the ( Botswana Railways) "BR Express" has a commuter train between

and

. The train departs to

at 0530hrs and arrives at

at 0649hrs. This train returns to

in the evening, departing in

at 1800hrs. Arrival time at

is 1934hrs. The train stops at Otse, Ramotswa, and Commerce Park Halt.

BR Express Sleeping & Dining Department

From the beginning, the BR decided to operate its own

sleeping cars The sleeping car or sleeper (often ) is a railway passenger car (rail), passenger car that can accommodate all passengers in beds of one kind or another, for the purpose of sleeping. George Pullman was the main American innovator and owner of sl ...

, thus building bigger-sized berths and more comfortable surroundings. Providing and operating their cars allowed better control of the services and revenue. While the food was served to passengers, the profits were never result of serving the food. Those who could afford to travel great distances expected better facilities, and favorable opinions from the overall experience would attract others to Botswana and the BR's trains.

Stations

Freight trains

Over half of BRs freight traffic is in coal, grain and intermodal freight, and it also ships automotive parts and assembled automobiles, sulphur, fertilizers, other chemicals, soda ash, forest products and other types of the commodities.

Locomotives

Diesel locomotives As of March 2009: * 8 General Electric UM 22C diesel-electric locomotive, 1982. * 20 General Motors Model GT22LC-2 diesel-electric locomotive, 1986. * 10 General Electric UI5C diesel-electric locomotive, 1990. * 8 new gt142aces were delivered in the end of 2017.

Network

*total: 888 km (since 2015) *number of stations: 13 *standard gauge: 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in)

Railway links with adjacent countries

Existing *

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

(same gauge) *

Zimbabwe file:Zimbabwe, relief map.jpg, upright=1.22, Zimbabwe, relief map Zimbabwe, officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Bots ...

(same gauge)

Currently under construction

Zambia Zambia, officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country at the crossroads of Central Africa, Central, Southern Africa, Southern and East Africa. It is typically referred to being in South-Central Africa or Southern Africa. It is bor ...

- being built at

Kazungula Bridge Kazungula Bridge is a road and rail bridge over the Zambezi, Zambezi River between the countries of Zambia and Botswana at the town of Kazungula. The and bridge, which has a longest span of , links the town of Kazungula in Zambia with Botswana ...

Kazungula Kazungula is a small border town in Zambia, lying on the north bank of the Zambezi River about west of Livingstone on the M10 Road. At Kazungula, the territories of four countries (Zambia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, and Namibia) come close to mee ...

Proposed

Namibia Namibia, officially the Republic of Namibia, is a country on the west coast of Southern Africa. Its borders include the Atlantic Ocean to the west, Angola and Zambia to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south; in the no ...

Mozambique Mozambique, officially the Republic of Mozambique, is a country located in Southeast Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi and Zambia to the northwest, Zimbabwe to the west, and Eswatini and South Afr ...

Road transport

Vehicle population

* Botswana had 584,000 locally registered vehicles at the end of June 2019 - more than double the number compared to 10 years prior. This equates to around 250 vehicles per 1,000 people in the country. * 30,583 vehicles were registered in the first 6 months of 2019. * Secondhand imports from Asia and the UK are a significant source of vehicles in Botswana. Bus for mass travel

A-roads

A-roads are highways and other major roads.

B-roads

B-roads are smaller distributor roads.

Motorways

Motorways in

Botswana Botswana, officially the Republic of Botswana, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. Botswana is topographically flat, with approximately 70 percent of its territory part of the Kalahari Desert. It is bordered by South Africa to the sou ...

have a set of restrictions, which prohibit certain traffic from using the road. The following classes of traffic are not allowed on Botswana motorways: * Learner drivers * Slow vehicles (i.e., not capable of reaching 60 km/h on a level road) * Invalid carriages (lightweight three-wheeled vehicles) * Pedestrians * Pedal-cycles (

bicycles A bicycle, also called a pedal cycle, bike, push-bike or cycle, is a human-powered or motor-assisted, pedal-driven, single-track vehicle, with two wheels attached to a frame, one behind the other. A is called a cyclist, or bicyclist. ...

, etc.) * Vehicles under 50cc (e.g.

mopeds A moped ( ) is a type of small motorcycle, generally having a less stringent licensing requirement than full motorcycles or automobiles. Historically, the term exclusively meant a similar vehicle with both bicycle pedals and a motorcycle engine. ...

) * Tractors * Animals Rules for driving on motorways include the following: * The keep-left rule applies unless overtaking * No stopping at any time * No reversing * No hitchhiking * Only vehicles that travel faster than 80 km/h may use the outside lane * No driving on the hard-shoulder The general

motorway A controlled-access highway is a type of highway that has been designed for high-speed vehicular traffic, with all traffic flow—ingress and egress—regulated. Common English terms are freeway, motorway, and expressway. Other similar terms ...

speed limit is 120 km/h.

Road signs

Traditionally,

road signs in Botswana Botswana, officially the Republic of Botswana, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. Botswana is topographically flat, with approximately 70 per cent of its territory part of the Kalahari Desert. It is bordered by South Africa to the so ...

used blue backgrounds rather than the yellow, white, or orange that the rest of the world uses on traffic

warning sign A warning sign is a type of sign which indicates a potential hazard, obstacle, or condition requiring special attention. Some are traffic signs that indicate hazards on roads that may not be readily apparent to a driver. While warning traffic ...

s. In the early 2010s, officials announced plans to begin phasing out the distinctive blue signs in favour of more typical signs in order to be more in line with the neighbouring

Southern African Development Community The Southern African Development Community (SADC) is an inter-governmental organization headquartered in Gaborone, Botswana. Goals The SADC's goal is to further regional socio-economic cooperation and integration as well as political and se ...

member states.

Interchanges

Existing

* Kenneth Nkhwa Interchange at the junction of A1 / Blue Jacket Street and A3 in

. * Boatle Interchange in Boatle.

Under construction

The Government of Botswana is building three interchanges along K.T Motsete Drive (''Western Bypass'') in

. This project started in August 2019, and deadline date is set 2022.

Longest bridges

The

and the Okavango River Bridge (constructed 2022) in Mohembo are the two longest bridges.

Roadway links with adjacent countries

Existing

* Namibia by

Trans-Kalahari Corridor The Trans-Kalahari Corridor is a paved highway corridor that provides a direct route from the port of Walvis Bay and Windhoek in central Namibia, through Botswana, to Pretoria in Gauteng province in South Africa. It initially cost approximately 8 ...

. * South Africa by A1 highway (Botswana), A2 highway (Botswana), A11 road (Botswana) and A12 highway (Botswana). * Zambia by A33 road (Botswana). * Zimbabwe by A1 highway (Botswana).

Mass transit by road

Taxicabs

In most parts of Botswana, there are many taxicabs of various colours and styles. Botswana has no limitation in taxicab design, so each taxicab company adopts its own design.

Minibus taxis

Minibus taxis, also known as C''ombi'', are the predominant form of transport for people in urban areas of Botswana. Most of them are found within cities, towns, major villages, and even the least populated areas. They also have their own minibus station within a particular area; only transporting people within that specific area using different and unique routes. This is due to their availability and affordability to the public. Most minibus taxis do not have a specific departure time that is allocated by the state and most of them have 15-seaters. The minibuses are owned and operated by many individual minibus owners.

Coach bus

Coach buses are used for longer-distance services within and outside Botswana. These are normally operated by private companies and are the only buses that have departure times allocated by the Ministry of Transport. Coach buses have multiple departures, routes, and stations all over Botswana.

Water transport

Ferries

The Kazungula Ferry was a pontoon ferry that crossed the

Zambezi River The Zambezi (also spelled Zambeze and Zambesi) is the fourth-longest river in Africa, the longest east-flowing river in Africa and the largest flowing into the Indian Ocean from Africa. Its drainage basin covers , slightly less than half of t ...

between

and

Tour boats

Aviation

In 2004 there were an estimated 85 airports, 10 of which (as of 2005), were paved. The country's main international airport is Sir Seretse Khama International Airport in

. The government-owned

Air Botswana Air Botswana Corporation is Botswana's state-owned national flag carrier, with its headquarters located in Gaborone. It operates scheduled domestic and regional flights from its main base at Sir Seretse Khama International Airport. Air Botswana ...

operates scheduled flights to

, Maun, and

Selebi-Phikwe Selebi-Phikwe (also spelt ''Selibe Phikwe'') is a mining town located in the Central District of Botswana. It had a population of 42,488 in 2022. The town is an administrative district, separate from the surrounding Central District. Mining ...

. There is international service to

Johannesburg, South Africa Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu language, Zulu and Xhosa language, Xhosa: eGoli ) (colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, Jo'burg or "The City of Gold") is the most populous city in South Africa. With 5,538,596 people in the City of Johannesburg alon ...

; Mbabane, Eswatini; and

Harare, Zimbabwe Harare ( ), formerly Salisbury, is the capital and largest city of Zimbabwe. The city proper has an area of , a population of 1,849,600 as of the 2022 census and an estimated 2,487,209 people in its metropolitan province. The city is situa ...

. A new international airport near Gaborone was opened in 1984. Air passengers arriving to and departing from Botswana during 2003 totalled about 183,000. Maun Airport

International airports

Botswana has 4 international airports. * Sir Seretse Khama International Airport in

. * Francistown Airport in

. * Kasane Airport in Kasane. * Maun Airport in Maun.

Proposed airports

* "Mophane International Airport" is planned in

Sub-District near Moremi village.

Pedestrian elevated walkways

Botswana has many pedestrian elevated walkways at different places.

Water pipelines

Under construction

North-South Carrier

NSC is a pipeline in Botswana that carries raw water, south for a distance of to the capital city of

. It was done in phases. However, phase 1 was completed in 2000. Phase 2 of the NSC, still under construction, will duplicate the pipeline to carry water from the Dikgatlhong Dam, which was completed in 2012. A proposed extension to deliver water from the

Zambezi The Zambezi (also spelled Zambeze and Zambesi) is the fourth-longest river in Africa, the longest east-flowing river in Africa and the largest flowing into the Indian Ocean from Africa. Its drainage basin covers , slightly less than half of t ...

would add another to the total pipeline length.

Lesotho-Botswana Water Transport

The Lesotho-Botswana Water Transfer is an ongoing project which is expected to provide two hundred million cubic meters per year to transfer water to the south-eastern parts of Botswana. The scheme involves the supply of water to

from

Lesotho Lesotho, formally the Kingdom of Lesotho and formerly known as Basutoland, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. Entirely surrounded by South Africa, it is the largest of only three sovereign enclave and exclave, enclaves in the world, t ...

via a pipeline. The project commenced on the 1 August 2018 and is set for completion in June 2020.

Proposed

Sea water desalination project

The Government of Botswana intends to sign the Sea Water Desalination Project from Namibia. The project is at a tendering stage.

Border posts

* Bokspits Border Post * Kazungula Border Post * Ramatlabama Border Post * Ramokgwebana Border Post * Mamuno Border Post * Pandamatenga Border Post

References

External links

UN Map of Botswana

Air Botswana UK - The national airline of Botswana
{{DEFAULTSORT:Transport In Botswana

Rail transport

Regional trains (BR Express)

Commuter/suburban trains

BR Express Sleeping & Dining Department

Stations

Freight trains

Locomotives

Network

Railway links with adjacent countries

Currently under construction

Proposed

Road transport

Vehicle population

A-roads

B-roads

Motorways

Road signs

Interchanges

Existing

Under construction

Longest bridges

Roadway links with adjacent countries

Existing

Mass transit by road

Taxicabs

Minibus taxis

Coach bus

Water transport

Ferries

Tour boats

Aviation

International airports

Proposed airports

Pedestrian elevated walkways

Water pipelines

Under construction

North-South Carrier

Lesotho-Botswana Water Transport

Proposed

Sea water desalination project

Border posts

See also

References

External links