Senegal

Senegal

Senegal , officially the Republic of Senegal , is a country in western Africa. It owes its name to the Sénégal River that borders it to the east and north...

 has 906 km of railway at gauge. This is part of the Dakar-Niger Railway which crosses the border to Mali

Mali

Mali , officially the Republic of Mali , is a landlocked country in Western Africa. Mali borders Algeria on the north, Niger on the east, Burkina Faso and the Côte d'Ivoire on the south, Guinea on the south-west, and Senegal and Mauritania on the west. Its size is just over 1,240,000 km² with...

. The railway is operated by Transrail

Transrail

Transrail may refer to:* Transrail, a Canadian consortium running Inter-city trains in Senegal and Mali* Transrail Freight, a former freight division of British Rail...

, managed by the Belgian company Vecturis.

History

Senegal was formerly part of the federation of French West Africa

French West Africa

French West Africa was a federation of eight French colonial territories in Africa: Mauritania, Senegal, French Sudan , French Guinea , Côte d'Ivoire , Upper Volta , Dahomey and Niger...

 so the history of its railways is closely linked to that of its neighbours.

Dakar-Saint-Louis railway

This was the first railway line in French West Africa when it opened in 1885. It is now out of service.

Dakar-Niger Railway

Construction work on the Dakar–Niger Railway began at the end of the 19th century. The line was completed at the beginning of the 20th century.

Petit train de banlieue

The Petit train de banlieue (PTB) is a passenger train providing regular commuter services between Dakar railway station and Thiès, via Thiaroye and Rufisque. It was inaugurated in December 1987.

Developments since 2000

A gauge conversion

Gauge conversion

In rail transport, gauge conversion is the process of converting a railway from one rail gauge to another, through the alteration of the railway tracks...

 from to was planned.

In August 2006 RITES of India was to supply 5 metre-gauge locomotives, with vacuum brake

Vacuum brake

The vacuum brake is a braking system employed on trains and introduced in the mid-1860s. A variant, the automatic vacuum brake system, became almost universal in British train equipment and in those countries influenced by British practice. Vacuum brakes also enjoyed a brief period of adoption in...

s converted to air brakes

Air brake (rail)

An air brake is a conveyance braking system actuated by compressed air. Modern trains rely upon a fail-safe air brake system that is based upon a design patented by George Westinghouse on March 5, 1872. The Westinghouse Air Brake Company was subsequently organized to manufacture and sell...

.

In October 2007 70 air braked coaches were ordered from Rail Coach Factory

Rail Coach Factory

Established in 1986, the Rail Coach Factory was the second coach manufacturing unit of Indian Railways. Its foundation stone was laid by the then Prime Minister of India Mr. Rajiv Gandhi...

 in India. A 750 kilometres (466 mi) rail line was planned to Faleme River

Faleme River

The Falémé River is a river in West Africa. The Falémé arises in northern Guinea and flows in a north-northeast direction to Mali, forming a short portion of the border between Guinea and Senegal...

 region of South East Senegal for iron ore traffic.

In 2010, the Faleme project has been delayed by disputes between the leaseholders. In the meantime, the Dakar-Port Sudan Railway

Dakar-Port Sudan Railway

The Dakar-Port Sudan Railway is a 4,000 km long proposal which surfaced in 2008-2010 to link the aforementioned ports by a Transcontinental Railway. It would pass through several countries along the way and would have branches to link capital cities not on the direct route. The initial...

 project surfaced.

Railway links to adjacent countries

Mauritania - no - break of gauge - / gauge Mali

Rail transport in Mali

Mali has only one railway, the Dakar-Niger Railway, which includes 729 kilometers in Mali and runs from the port of Koulikoro via Bamako to the border with Senegal and continues on to Dakar...

 - yes - gauge Guinea

Rail transport in Guinea

Guinea has 1,086 km of railways. This includes 279 km at gauge and 807 km at gauge. The latter includes 662 km in common carrier service from Kankan to Conakry.Currently operating in Guinea three different railway companies:...

 - no - and gauges Guinea-Bissau - no railways to link to The Gambia - no railways to link to

See also

• Railway stations in Senegal
  Railway stations in Senegal
  - Maps :* * - Existing :* Dakar - port and national capital * Hann - truncated terminus * Bargny proposed deepwater port.* Rufisque - cement works----* Kirène - cement works to be expanded in 2008...
  
  
• Transport in Senegal
  Transport in Senegal
  - Railways :total: 906 kmnarrow gauge: 906 km of gauge - Maps :* * - Ground transport :There were an estimated 4,271 km of paved roads and 10,305 km of unpaved roads as of 1996....
  
  
• West Africa Regional Rail Integration
  West Africa Regional Rail Integration
  The West Africa Regional Rail Integration is a proposal to connect up isolated railway networks in West Africa.-Overview:In 2009, USTDA approved funding of $750,000 for a feasibility study grant to assist the Union Économique et Monétaire Ouest-Africaine , in determining the technical and economic...
  
  

External links

• Transrail s.a.