Botswana’s rail freight business generated stronger returns in the first quarter of 2026, with revenue growing faster than cargo volumes as a surge in transit traffic reshaped the mix of goods moving through the network.
According to a report compiled by Statistics Botswana, during the first quarter of 2026, Rail freight volumes increased 4.9 percent to 171,715 tonnes from 163,681 tonnes in the previous quarter, while revenue rose 7.5 percent to P42.9 million from P39.9 million.
The performance was driven largely by transit traffic, which more than doubled, rising 108.8 percent. Transit cargo nevertheless represented only 18.8 percent of total freight, behind exports at 31 percent, local traffic at 25.5 percent and imports at 24.7 percent.
The stronger revenue growth highlights the value of the traffic mix. Transit freight generated average revenue of P395 a tonne, considerably above local traffic at P275.72. Imports generated P29.37 a tonne, while exports brought in only P13.22.
That disparity gives Botswana’s rail network a potentially important commercial incentive to attract more transit cargo, even if such traffic remains smaller in volume terms.
The figures also show the limits of relying on traditional freight categories. Exports and imports together accounted for more than half of volumes, but produced substantially lower revenue per tonne than transit traffic.
For a railway operating in a regional market, the opportunity may therefore lie less in simply increasing tonnage and more in capturing cargo that can command higher yields. The first-quarter figures offer an early indication of that shift, although it remains to be seen whether the sharp increase in transit traffic can be sustained.