Rail transport in Madagascar
Encyclopedia
Rail transport in Madagascar is primarily operated by Madarail
, a subsidiary of Comazar
.
The northern railway (TCE) is currently concessioned to Madarail
. The southern line, Fianarantsoa-Côte-Est railway
(FCE), is a parastatal line.
total:
875 km
narrow gauge:
875 km 1.000-m gauge (2006)
There are two unconnected systems.
Madarail
The government of Madagascar has granted Madarail a 25 year concession to operate the northern of the two national rail lines. The company is investing heavily in Madagascar's rail system...
, a subsidiary of Comazar
Comazar
Comazar is a company that operates railways in Africa. Its stock is majority owned by the French investment group Bolloré.Comazar was founded by Eric Peiffer and Patrick Claes in conjunction with Transnet and Transurb Consult in 1995.The headquarters are in Johannesburg.- Related organizations...
.
The northern railway (TCE) is currently concessioned to Madarail
Madarail
The government of Madagascar has granted Madarail a 25 year concession to operate the northern of the two national rail lines. The company is investing heavily in Madagascar's rail system...
. The southern line, Fianarantsoa-Côte-Est railway
Fianarantsoa-Côte Est railway
The Fianarantsoa-Côte Est railway is a colonial-built railway in southeast Madagascar that connects the high plateau city of Fianarantsoa to the port-city of Manakara. It is 163 kilometers long and was built by the French between 1926 and 1936 using the forced-labor program SMOTIG. The French used...
(FCE), is a parastatal line.
total:
875 km
narrow gauge:
875 km 1.000-m gauge (2006)
There are two unconnected systems.
Interfaces
- Continuous BrakesBrake (railway)Brakes are used on the cars of railway trains to enable deceleration, control acceleration or to keep them standing when parked. While the basic principle is familiar from road vehicle usage, operational features are more complex because of the need to control multiple linked carriages and to be...
: Air/Vacuum/Unbraked ? - CouplersCoupling (railway)A coupling is a mechanism for connecting rolling stock in a train. The design of the coupler is standard, and is almost as important as the railway gauge, since flexibility and convenience are maximised if all rolling stock can be coupled together.The equipment that connects the couplings to the...
: Centre buffer and two side hooks and chains.
Cities served by rail
- AntananarivoAntananarivoAntananarivo , formerly Tananarive , is the capital and largest city in Madagascar. It is also known by its French colonial shorthand form Tana....
- national capital - ToamasinaToamasinaToamasina , meaning "like salt" or "salty", unofficially and in French also Tamatave, is a city on the east coast of Madagascar on the Indian Ocean. The city is the chief seaport of the country, situated northeast of its capital and biggest city Antananarivo, near the centre of the eastern coast...
- chief seaport