Rail transport in Togo

Rail transport in Togo consists of 568 km (353 mi) (2014) of 1,000 mm (3 ft 3+3⁄8 in) metre gauge railway.^[1]

Operators

Trains are operated by Société Nationale des Chemins de Fer Togolais (SNCT), which was established as a result of the restructuring and renaming of Réseau des Chemins de Fer du Togo from 1997 to 1998.^[2] Between Hahotoé and the port of Kpémé, the Compagnie Togolaise des Mines du Bénin (CTMB) operated phosphate trains.^[2]

Lines

Lomé–Aného railway
Lomé–Blitta railway
Lomé–Kpalimé railway
Hahotoé–Kpémé railway (operated by CTMB)^[2]

Towns served by rail

Lomé - port and national capital
Blitta - terminus of the Lomé–Blitta railway

Railway links with adjacent countries

Burkina Faso - no - same 1,000 mm (3 ft 3+3⁄8 in) metre gauge gauge
Benin - no - same 1,000 mm (3 ft 3+3⁄8 in) gauge
Ghana - no - break-of-gauge 1,000 mm (3 ft 3+3⁄8 in) / 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in).

Standards

Coupling – Centre buffer and two side chains
Brakes – Vacuum brake^[3]
Maximum speed – up to 35 km/h^[2]

History

Construction of the first railway line in Togo, the Lomé–Aného railway, began in 1904.
In 1980, the average distance travelled by one person was 50 kilometers.^[4]
A siding across the border from a cement plant in Aflao, Ghana, to the port of Lomé was completed in 2014.^[5]

Proposed international lines

Togo is a participant in the AfricaRail project, an Indian proposal has surfaced to link the railways in Benin and Togo with landlocked Niger and Burkina Faso.^{[citation needed]} In May 2023, a plan was agreed upon by the transport ministers of Togo, Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso, Niger, and Benin, to further international railway connections. The plan, consisting of both upgrading and building new lines, would link Lomé to the planned network.^[6]

References

^ Togo. The World Factbook. Central Intelligence Agency.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Harris, Ken, ed. (2005). Jane's World Railways 2005-2006 (47th ed.). Jane's Information Group. p. 464. ISBN 0-7106-2710-6.
^ "Steam in Africa 2019 - Togo". Archived from the original on 2019-12-27. Retrieved 2020-07-07.
^ Goldsack, Paul, ed. (1981). Jane's World Railways 1981-82 (23rd ed.). Jane's Publishing Company Ltd. p. 514. ISBN 0-7106-0726-1.
^ "Togo railway plan". railwaygazette.com. DVV Media International. 22 March 2019. Archived from the original on 5 July 2020. Retrieved 7 July 2020.
^ "West Africa rail action plan agreed". railwaygazette.com. DVV Media International. 27 May 2023. Archived from the original on 1 June 2023. Retrieved 6 November 2023.

External links

[1] Togo. The World Factbook. Central Intelligence Agency.

[JWR0506-2] Harris, Ken, ed. (2005). Jane's World Railways 2005-2006 (47th ed.). Jane's Information Group. p. 464. ISBN 0-7106-2710-6.

[3] "Steam in Africa 2019 - Togo". Archived from the original on 2019-12-27. Retrieved 2020-07-07.

[JWR8182-4] Goldsack, Paul, ed. (1981). Jane's World Railways 1981-82 (23rd ed.). Jane's Publishing Company Ltd. p. 514. ISBN 0-7106-0726-1.

[rg22032019-5] "Togo railway plan". railwaygazette.com. DVV Media International. 22 March 2019. Archived from the original on 5 July 2020. Retrieved 7 July 2020.

[rg27052023-6] "West Africa rail action plan agreed". railwaygazette.com. DVV Media International. 27 May 2023. Archived from the original on 1 June 2023. Retrieved 6 November 2023.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]