Grootfontein dry port to reduce logistics costs

Plans are well advanced for a multimodal dry port in Grootfontein, the current TransNamib rail head to the Copperbelt, according to TransNamib chief executive officer Johny Smith. “We see Grootfontein as a big intermodal growth point, with rail to and from Walvis Bay,” he told FTW. Smith says TransNamib is in discussions with road transporters and the road freight industry. Truckers will benefit because their vehicles will be able to turn around 623 km
earlier when carrying freight to and from the Copperbelt. Ndola is 1 617 km from Grootfontein, 1 368 km from Beira and 2 443 km from Durban. Mining is, however, moving to the west of Zambia and Lumwana – one of Africa’s biggest copper mines – is pretty much equidistant. It is 1 795 km from Grootfontein and 1 791 km to Beira. All the basic infrastructure is already in place in Grootfontein, and TransNamib is looking for partners to handle the dry port.