The modernization and reconfiguration of the Dakar – Tambacounda railway line is a long-standing project that had been shelved by the previous Senegalese administration. The current authorities are now considering its revival.
The plan to convert the Dakar – Tambacounda railway to standard gauge remains on the table. This was confirmed by Senegal’s Minister of Infrastructure and Land Transport, Yankhoba Dieme, who nonetheless stated that the project’s completion could take between 5 and 10 years.
According to him, the government may opt for a phased approach. “We are working on delivering intermediate milestones. For example, we could start by rehabilitating the old metre-gauge tracks before laying the new standard-gauge rails,” he explained.
Local media report that the project includes a total of 32 trainsets, modern stations, and a dry port to be built in either Kidira or Tambacounda. However, details on how the estimated cost of 1,200 billion CFA francs (about USD 2.1 billion) will be financed remain unclear. This phase is particularly crucial in the current context, as the government seeks to reduce the country’s debt level.
The infrastructure modernization plan aims to accelerate the opening up of the country’s eastern regions and to stimulate economic development in the interior. The railway also plays a strategic role in the regional integration process. It facilitates the transport of imports and exports for Mali, a landlocked country that relies on the Port of Dakar as its main logistics hub for trade with the rest of the world.
Source : Agence Ecofin
