(Press release Bolloré – 19 august 2022)
On 19 August 2022, SITARAIL took delivery at the Port of Abidjan of a new tamping-levelling-lining machine worth 2 billion CFA francs (more than €3 million), for maintenance on the railway between Côte d’Ivoire and Burkina Faso.
Presented at the recent International Exhibition for Track Technology (IAF) in Münster, Germany, this innovation is essential for positioning rails correctly and detecting infrastructure failures in order to restore the best possible track parameters.
Designed by Austrian company Plasser & Theurer, the world leader in railway technology, this next-generation equipment enables sleepers to be processed at a higher rate, and allows for greater precision in track maintenance operations. It thereby guarantees the reliability of the railway infrastructure with a view to improving customer satisfaction.
“The acquisition of this new ultra-modern tamper is a strategic investment that is part of the modernisation of our maintenance tools, with the aim of improving the safety of our rail transport equipment. Our vision is to equip SITARAIL with innovative rail infrastructure, in order to ensure sustainable management of the railway network between Côte d’Ivoire and Burkina Faso,” said Quentin GERARD, Managing Director of SITARAIL.
With the acquisition of this new railway equipment, SITARAIL renews its commitment to the modernisation of its maintenance equipment. Between 2016 and 2021, SITARAIL invested more than 45 billion CFA francs in its investment programme to modernise its infrastructure and maintenance equipment (PRI), to improve the quality of rail service.
About SITARAIL
The Société Internationale de Transport Africain par Rail (SITARAIL, the international company for African rail transport), is the Bolloré Transport & Logistics subsidiary operating the railways in Côte d’Ivoire and Burkina Faso. It has its head office in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire and a National Representation in Burkina Faso. The company is the concessionaire for the operation of the railway network between the two countries. Construction of the railway began in Abidjan in 1904 and was completed in Ouagadougou in 1954. As the flagship of rail transport in West Africa, Sitarail carries an average of 200,000 passengers and 900,000 tonnes of freight every year. It employs an average of 1,500 employees and, thanks to its actions in favour of health, education and the environment, is a key vector for socio-economic development and regional integration in West Africa.
