The Beitbridge Bulawayo Railway (BBR) is a privately owned railway company that provides a rail link in Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe is a landlocked country located in the southern part of the African continent, between the Zambezi and Limpopo rivers. It is bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the southwest, Zambia and a tip of Namibia to the northwest and Mozambique to the east. Zimbabwe has three...

 between Beitbridge

Beitbridge

Beitbridge or Mzingwane is a border town in the province of Matabeleland South, Zimbabwe. The name also refers to the border post and bridge spanning the Limpopo River, which forms the political border between South Africa and Zimbabwe.-Background:...

 at the border to South Africa

South Africa

The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...

 and Zimbabwe's second city Bulawayo

Bulawayo

Bulawayo is the second largest city in Zimbabwe after the capital Harare, with an estimated population in 2010 of 2,000,000. It is located in Matabeleland, 439 km southwest of Harare, and is now treated as a separate provincial area from Matabeleland...

.

The gauge

Rail gauge

Track gauge or rail gauge is the distance between the inner sides of the heads of the two load bearing rails that make up a single railway line. Sixty percent of the world's railways use a standard gauge of . Wider gauges are called broad gauge; smaller gauges, narrow gauge. Break-of-gauge refers...

 BBR is a build-operate-transfer

Build-Operate-Transfer

Build-own-operate-transfer or build-operate-transfer is a form of project financing, wherein a private entity receives a concession from the private or public sector to finance, design, construct, and operate a facility stated in the concession contract...

 project that has shortened the distance between Bulawayo and South Africa to 317 km. Prior to its inauguration, rail service between SA and Zimbabwe took a route about 200 km longer through Botswana

Botswana

Botswana, officially the Republic of Botswana , is a landlocked country located in Southern Africa. The citizens are referred to as "Batswana" . Formerly the British protectorate of Bechuanaland, Botswana adopted its new name after becoming independent within the Commonwealth on 30 September 1966...

. The shorter line has been used primarily for freight transportation.

The BBR was inaugurated on July 15, 1999. After 30 years of service the BBR will be handed over to the National Railways of Zimbabwe

National Railways of Zimbabwe

The National Railways of Zimbabwe is the parastatal railway of Zimbabwe. The Zimbabwe railway system was largely constructed during the time of British colonial rule, and part of it represents a segment of the Cape-Cairo railway...

 at no cost. It had a profound impact on the profitability of Botswana Railways

Botswana Railways

Botswana Railways is the national railway of Botswana.-History:BR was created in 1987 when the government of Botswana bought out the Botswana-based sections of the National Railways of Zimbabwe . NRZ had been initially operating the rail system after Botswana had gained independence.Management of...

 that saw its Zimbabwe-related freight volume drop by 90,000 to 10,000 tons.

See also

• South African Class 34-200
  South African Class 34-200
  Between October 1971 and March 1972 the South African Railways placed fifty Class 34-200 EMD GT26MC diesel-electric locomotives in service.- Manufacturer :...
  
  
• South African Class 34-600
  South African Class 34-600
  Between December 1974 and July 1976 the South African Railways placed one hundred Class 34-600 EMD GT26MC diesel-electric locomotives in service.-Manufacturer:...
  
  
• South African Class 34-800
  South African Class 34-800
  Between August 1978 and December 1979 the South African Railways placed fifty Class 34-800 EMD GT26MC diesel-electric locomotives in service. In 1979 one more of the same type was placed in service by Iscor in Newcastle, and between April and July 1980 a further eight of these locomotives were...
  
  
• NLPI
  NLPI
  NLPI Limited is an investment-holding company, registered in Mauritius, whose main investment focus is infrastructure-related projects on the continent of Africa...