Régie du Chemin de Fer Abidjan-Niger

The Abidjan-Niger Railway is a 1260 km single-track metric line in francophone West Africa that links Abidjan, Ivory Coast to Ougadogou, Burkina Faso. The Abidjan-Niger railway, like other railways on the continent, was a significant tool constructed and utilized by colonial powers for the purpose of economic exploitation of the West African region. In the 1960s, after independence, both countries decided to take charge of the management of the railway. During a period of economic crisis in the 90s, and under the influence of the IMF and World bank’s structural adjustment policies, both countries decided to hand over the management of the railway to the consortium “Sitarail” composed of (Bolloré group and Maersk) on September 1995.

Although it was once the predominant transporter of freight and passengers in the corridor, by 2000, the railway faced strong competition from road transport as the region’s road network had improved. The main economic role of the railway is international freight traffic to and from Burkina (petroleum products, containers, fertilizers, grain, clinker and cement, cotton). The railway also played a significant role in domestic transport of petroleum products in Côte d'Ivoire. [1]

During the first half of the 19th century, trading posts were established on the coast of Ivory Coast. Later on, there was an increase in military expeditions into the region. Numerous propositions for the establishment of rail lines had been put in place in the 19th century by Captain Marchand (who exploited coastal region between 1893 and 1894) and by Captain Louis-Gustave Binge (who exploited the Kong region, North East of Ivory Coast, Comoé and Mossis in present-day Ougadogou in 1888) and finally by Captain Houdaille. In 1889, French officials established the Houdaille Mission, a survey of the layouts of the West African region. The mission constituted a study of the coastal terrain, the indigenes and the geographical parametres of the region in order to establish the conditions that would facilitate adequate penetration into the colony by the railway. In 1901, the first wharf was put in place at Grand Bassam, the colonial capital of Ivory Coast and by 1903 a new mission was put in place by Captain Crosson-Duplessis, a study of the first 79 km of the railway for the commencement of the construction from the ebrie Lagoon. The construction started officially in 1904, and reached Évry Macougne by 1906 establishing the fist station, Abgoville by 1907 and Dimbokro by 1908 and the train station was constructed in Bouaké in 1912. Although there were numerous obstacles and oppositions (such as the revolt of the Abés against the requisition of Ivoirian locals in 1909 ) the construction progressed. The construction was suspended for 11 years due the prominence of First World War. After the war, the construction recommenced, and the creation of a new colony the “French Upper Volta (present Burkina Faso) led to a new orientation of the rail line. By 1924, the construction reached Katiola, by 1929, Ferkessédougou and by 1933,Bobo-Dioulasso, the terminus for the next twenty years. As a result of the Second World War the construction of the railway was suspended. After recommencement, the railway was completed on the 23rd of October 1954, in Ouagadougou. [2][3]

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