The Bechuanaland Railway opened in 1897 between Mafeking (present day Mafikeng) and Bulawayo, a 780km railway of which over 650km lies in the territory of present day Botswana. The railway was built to connect the British colony of Cape Province (present day South Africa) with the then new protectorate of Rhodesia (later Southern Rhodesia, now Zimbabwe). The gauge chosen was 3ft 6in (1067mm), to enable through running with the existing railways of Cape Province.
The railway was, and remains, the only line ever built in the country. However, in 2005, a serious proposal emerged for a new line to link Botswana Railways directly with those of Zambia, bypassing Zimbabwe. There are at present sound political reasons why such a line might eventually built but, whilst this line would necessarily traverse a short section of Namibian territory, a more elaborate scheme that has been reported on the web, which would link Botswana with the existing Namibian rail network (lying much further to the west) seems highly implausible.
At present, the original Mafikeng - Bulawayo line continues to serve its purpose, although its importance as a through freight route has declined with the opening of more direct routes between South Africa and Zimbabwe in the late 20th century.
The railway enjoys couple of passenger services each day between Francistown and Lobatse (a little over 500km), using well appointed modern air-conditioned day cars with full dining facilities and comfortable overnight sleeping cars. Another passenger service, jointly operated with Zimbabwe Railways, operates 3 times a week between Francistown and Bulawayo in Zimbabwe. There are no regular passenger services to or from South Africa, but certain luxury cruise trains use the international connection en route from South Africa to the Victoria Falls.
An ambitious project for a completely new freight railway (Trans Kalahari Railway) from Morupule in north east Botswana to a new port at Shearwater Bay in Namibia is at the feasibility study stage.
