Botswana Railways

About This Project

Botswana Railways is a crucial link in the Southern African region. Its strategic location and connections with the rest of the region’s railway operators make it the most comfortable, reliable and efficient transport method in Botswana.

It consists of almost 900 kilometers with Cape track width (1 067 mm) and its main line runs through Southeast Botswana along 640 kilometers from Mahikeng (South Africa) to Plumtree (Zimbabwe) via Lobatse, Gaborone, Mahalapye, Palapye, Serule and Francistown.

This line serves both freight and passenger transport, which after a break in service was resumed in March 2016 with two nightly trains and a daytime in the Botswana Railways Express.

Public address and voice evacuation systems, still in the installation phase, will feature LDA Audio Tech technology in all six main line stations.

The project will have a control center in Gaborone equipped with a central console with a microphone and a NEO system, a ZES 22 matrix, an RCD-21 audio player and an STV 2800 amplifier.

Each of the other five stations will have a complete NEO installation that will cover their respective zone independently, and two of them will also be equipped with auxiliary amplifiers for extra power (see diagram here).

The whole system will be managed by the SIME Control cloud software via Ethernet. This way, programmed messages, live announcements and pre-recorded audio can be issued in a personalized way, as well as ensuring safety in cases of emergency evacuation.

The clarity in the broadcast and intelligibility of the messages will be guaranteed thanks to the CH-42T ceiling speakers and PCM-20T vandal-resistant cylindrical projectors on walls and exteriors.

(Photo: TheBeastDot / CC BY-SA 4.0)