Construction on the TER began in the third quarter of 2016 and started operation in 2021. The line is being built in two stages, with the first covering from the city of Dakar to
Diamniadio, and the second stage covering more to the airport. For phase 1,
Engie and
Thales were responsible for rail systems, while
Eiffage,
Yapi Merkezi and La compagnie Sahélienne d'Entreprise (CSE Group) was responsible for construction. Station works were contracted to Eiffage, SERTEM, and the CSE group. Project management was provided by Systra. The early inauguration was reported to be a political maneuver by President
Macky Sall to draw attention to his accomplishments in the lead-up to
his re-election. For the first phase, Alstom was awarded a contract to provide 15 Coradia Polyvalent trains, built at its former
Reichshoffen site in December 2016. Regular passenger service running the 13 stations from Dakar to Diamniadio began on 27 December 2021. The line will be extended by 19 km between Diamniadio and
Blaise Diagne International Airport, with work having started on 5 March 2022. It will have connections to the terminals through a tunnel. 7 additional trains were ordered from the manufacturer
CAF (who acquired the
Coradia Polyvalent platform from Alstom, following Alstom's acquisition of
Bombardier Transportation in 2022) in 2023 for operation on phase 2. The first of these trains arrived in Dakar in October 2024. Phase 2 is expected to start operations in the first half of 2026. Future expansion of the TER service may include services to
Thiès and
M’bour. == Infrastructure ==