Дакар-Куликоро темір жолы: тарихы мен қазіргі жағдайы

Railway connecting Dakar, Senegal and Koulikoro, Mali

The Dakar–Niger Railway (French: Chemin de fer Dakar Niger) connects Dakar, Senegal to Koulikoro, Mali. The name refers to the Niger River, not the Republic of Niger. It serves many cities in Senegal, including Thiès, and in Mali, including Kayes, Kita, Kati, Bamako. The line covers a course of 1,287 km of which 641 km lies in Mali. As of 2013 passenger services in Mali were only being offered three days between Bamako and Kayes via Kati and Diamou. There have been no international passenger trains in operation since 2010.

Construction work on the Dakar–Niger Railway began at the end of the 19th century under the French general Gallieni, commander of French Sudan. The railroad connected the Niger River with the port of Dakar, allowing the transport of raw materials across the globe. The line was completed at the beginning of the 20th century, the Kayes Koulikoro section being inaugurated in 1904. However, the final section of the line did not open until 1924. An agreement between Senegal and Mali in 1962 determined the common operation of the line by the two railway companies. Management issues and a lack of investment led to serious degradation of the infrastructure and rolling stock and numerous delays. In Senegal, the maximum speed of the trains in many places has been limited to 20 km/h due to the bad state of the tracks. Despite Transrail's obligation to maintain a passenger service, they concentrated on the transport of goods. Many stations have been closed and the numbers of connections reduced, creating difficulties for isolated communities. Passenger services have been suspended since an accident on 13 May 2009 killed five and injured thirty seven. A Dakar bound train came off the tracks between Bala and Goudiry in Tambacounda Region, Senegal. Four carriages reportedly overturned, but no official cause was determined. With continually degrading infrastructure and mounting security problems, passenger service was halted in May 2010. In 2015, the governments of Mali and Senegal terminated the concession to Transrail, and a new entity, Dakar Bamako Ferroviaire, took its place. They reached an agreement with China Railway Construction Corp (International) to restore their respective parts of the line. Without measurable progress, however, freight service was suspended in 2018, leading to a 20% drop in activity at the Port of Dakar.

The only regular train on the Dakar Niger route as of September 2023 is the TER. Nevertheless, the Senegalese government is currently working on rehabilitating the line as far as Tambacounda in order to reduce the number of trucks on the highways linking the Port of Dakar with Mali and other neighboring countries. An estimated 3 400 leave the port every day. In a second planned phase, a new standard gauge line to Tambacounda and eventually to Bamako will replace the current one. As a first step, in June 2023 a test run was conducted between Thies and Diourbel, with a full opening of that route planned for December 2023 or January 2024.