Rail transport in Niger

There is currently no rail transport in Niger . Two routes, one from Benin to Niger and a second via Burkina Faso to Ivory Coast , are in different stages of construction. On the 143 km long first section from Niamey to Dosso , which opened in 2016, there is still no regular traffic. Construction work in Benin stopped at the end of 2015.

history

The rail network of Benin with the planned connection to the Niger in the upper part of the picture

There were plans to connect Niger to the railroad at the beginning of the twentieth century. In 1903 construction began on the Abidjan-Niger Railway , which connects Abidjan with Ouagadougou. However, construction stopped 500 km from the Niger border. In 1910, construction began on a railway line in Benin from Cotonou on the Bay of Benin to Parakou . It too ended at the Niger border.

Planning and construction

Niamey Train Station (2014)

The Guéssélbodi train station in the municipality of N'Dounga (2019)

It is planned to build a continuous rail link from Cotonou via Niamey and Ouagadougou to Abidjan on the Atlantic . Here comes meter gauge used because the railways in neighboring countries in this track are operated.

In Niamey, the capital of the country, the first station in Niger was built, which initially had no connection to a rail network. It was inaugurated on April 7, 2014. Presidents of three African countries took part in the opening ceremony of the 500 meter long route : the President of Benin, Yayi Boni , the President of Togo , Faure Gnassingbé , and the President of Niger, Mahamadou Issoufou . He spoke of a historic moment and the beginning of the realization of a dream of connecting Niger to the sea by rail. The CEO of the company Bolloré , which created the first sections, spoke of an important moment for the citizens of the country. In the future, they could more easily import and export goods and travel.

President Issoufou opened the railway line between Niamey and Dosso on January 29, 2016 . In addition, a connection to the Abidjan-Niger Railway is planned, which is currently being expanded to Kaya in Burkina Faso.

Rolling stock

In 2014/2015, Bolloré acquired used SIG EW I meter gauge standard wagons from the Swiss Zentralbahn , which were originally built for the Brünigbahn . A promotional video published by Bolloré in March 2015 for the planned rail link known as Blueline Niger shows how such wagons are put on the rails and a two-car train pulled by a diesel locomotive. Bolloré also refers to the overall project as the Blueline and had announced that passenger traffic between Cotonou and Pahou in Benin would begin at the end of 2015 , also with the former Zentralbahn carriages.

Cessation of construction work in Benin

In 2015, the parties signed an agreement to work on the section from Benin to Niamey. However, the new construction and the restoration of the connecting lines in Benin soon came to a standstill as there were disputes over the main contractor. Niger stands firmly behind its French partner Bolloré, while in Benin the Petrolin company claims that it was the only bidder and has gone to court. After a court ruling on November 19, 2015, Bolloré had to stop all work in Benin. However, it is doubtful whether Petrolin even has the know-how and reserves to realize such a project. As a compromise, Benin has proposed a joint venture between the two companies or the China Railway Construction Corporation (CRCC) as an alternative. The Supreme Court of Benin rejected an appeal by Bolloré on September 29, 2017. While Benin again proposed the CRCC, Niger insists on Bolloré. Bolloré is also the largest shareholder in the Benin railway company Bénirail , in which both states hold ten percent each.

Web links

Commons : Rail Transport in Niger  - Collection of Images, Videos and Audio Files

Individual evidence

1. ^ NN: A long-standing railway ambition - Niger 2020. In: Niger 2020 . September 18, 2014, accessed January 7, 2018.
2. ^ NN: Inauguration de la première gare ferroviaire à Niamey. In: rfi Afrique . April 8, 2014, accessed January 7, 2018.
3. ^ Inauguration de la ligne ferroviaire Dosso-Niamey. In: Niger Inter. January 29, 2016, accessed January 7, 2018 (French). 
4. ^ NN: Revised Abidjan - Ouagadougou concession signed. In: Railway Gazette . August 5, 2016, accessed January 7, 2018.
5. ↑ Zentralbahn now also runs in Africa . In: Lucerne newspaper . June 7, 2015. Accessed February 26, 2018.
6. ↑ Blueline Niger Project by Bolloré . Youtube. March 11, 2015. Accessed February 26, 2018.
7. ↑ Benin passenger service to launch this year ( English ) In: Railway Gazette . June 10, 2015. Accessed February 26, 2018.
8. ^ NN: Benin - Niger railway agreement signed. In: Railway Gazette . August 23, 2015, accessed January 7, 2018.
9. ↑ jeuneafrique.com: Rail: Benin-Niger, la ligne de la discorde. September 12, 2017 (French).
10. ↑ jeuneafrique.com: Rail: la Cour du Bénin suprême tranche en faveur de Dossou contre Bolloré. October 3, 2017 (French).