Construction 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 initially connected Kayes (Kayes-Ville terminal) on the Senegal River to Koulikoro on the
Niger River, this section being inaugurated in 1904. Later construction saw a line extended to Kayes (Kayes-Plateau) from Thies where a connection was made with the Dakar–Saint-Louis railway thus giving access to the port of Dakar, allowing the transport of
raw materials across the globe. This section of the line opened in 1924.
1947 strike In 1947, the railroad workers went on a several-month
strike to obtain the same rights as the French railwaymen. They succeeded in winning a 20% raise, though strike leaders were jailed or fired. The strike was celebrated as a turning point in the anti-colonial struggle by Senegalese writer
Ousmane Sembène in his 1960 novel
God's Bits of Wood. No international traffic was carried between the countries from September 1960 until July 1963. An agreement between Senegal and Mali in June 1963 determined the common operation of the line by the two railway companies. Senegal, Railways, 1966, ref P002273, Senegal, Railways II, 1972, ref P002279, Mali, Railways II, 1973, ref P001690 Mali, Railways III, 1977, ref P001698 Senegal, Railways III, 1978, ref P002301 Senegal, Transport Sector Adjustment, 1991, ref P002342 Mali, Transport Project, 1994, ref P001730 Senegal, Second Transport Sector Project, 1999 Mali, Transport Corridors Improvement Project, 2004, ref P079351
Privatization In October 2003, Senegal and Mali privatized the railway following pressure from the World Bank. Transrail, a company owned by Canac-Getma (comprising the former Canadian National Railway rail consultancy subsidiary Canac and France's Getma) took over management of the line. Canac was acquired in 2004 by the American firm Savage Companies, and Savage sold its Transrail shares to Belgium's Vecturis in 2007. 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. == Current status ==