A major player in African railroads during the colonial era, Senegal, for which rail transport has historical connotations, would like to restore the image of this sub-sector and better integrate it into the country's current economic outlook.

A new ministry dedicated primarily to railroad development has been created in Senegal, as part of the proposed new government, which is currently being installed.

According to Prime Minister Amadou Ba, this new portfolio, which will be managed by Pape Amadou Ndiaye, has been initiated in a context where the government intends to place this sub-sector at the heart of national development policies, notably for "the major role it will play in the exploitation of oil and gas".

"This shows the importance we intend to give to this sector. Today, the TER (regional express train) has brought us a great deal of satisfaction, and there are plans to extend it to Thiès. As for the Dakar-Bamako railroad, by the end of the year we'll be taking the rail system as far as Tambacounda in the first phase," explained the Prime Minister.

Apart from mobility and domestic trade, the architecture of Senegal's transport system positions rail transport as the main channel for trade with Mali, whose import and export volumes largely transit through the port of Dakar.

Since the interruption of transport on the Dakar-Tambacounda line, a section of the Dakar-Bamako-Niamey rail corridor, the interconnection with the north of the country as well as with Mali has been jeopardized, due to longer journeys and higher transport costs.

For several years now, the current regime has been announcing a program to modernize the rail network, but with the exception of the TER project, this plan is struggling to get off the ground.

Due to a lack of funding, the tracks connecting the interior of the country, which were due to be reconfigured to SGR gauge, have been provisionally upgraded, with the same technical characteristics maintained.

Henoc Dossa