Benin Benin, officially the Republic of Benin, is a country in West Africa. It was formerly known as Dahomey. It is bordered by Togo to the west, Nigeria to the east, Burkina Faso to the north-west, and Niger to the north-east. The majority of its po ...

has a total of of single track, (

metre gauge Metre-gauge railways ( US: meter-gauge railways) are narrow-gauge railways with track gauge of or 1 metre. Metre gauge is used in around of tracks around the world. It was used by several European colonial powers including France, Britain and ...

) railway. Rail construction began around 1900, with regular services commencing in 1906; rail operation was taken into government control (from private companies) in 1930. Benin does not currently share railway links with adjacent countries, although at least three are planned, and the link into Niger is already under construction.

Niger Niger, officially the Republic of the Niger, is a landlocked country in West Africa. It is a unitary state Geography of Niger#Political geography, bordered by Libya to the Libya–Niger border, north-east, Chad to the Chad–Niger border, east ...

possesses no other railways; so the new line will provide a first and only rail route to and from that country. The other surrounding countries,

Nigeria Nigeria, officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean to the south. It covers an area of . With Demographics of Nigeria, ...

Togo Togo, officially the Togolese Republic, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Ghana to Ghana–Togo border, the west, Benin to Benin–Togo border, the east and Burkina Faso to Burkina Faso–Togo border, the north. It is one of the le ...

, and

Burkina Faso Burkina Faso is a landlocked country in West Africa, bordered by Mali to the northwest, Niger to the northeast, Benin to the southeast, Togo and Ghana to the south, and Ivory Coast to the southwest. It covers an area of 274,223 km2 (105,87 ...

, do have railway networks, but no Benin connections have yet been built. Benin will be a participant in the AfricaRail project. The proposed Benin-Niger railway will be converted to .

History

Ouidah - Locomotive at the railway station

Northern Line

The first railway in Benin was opened during the French colonial rule in 1906, between the port of

Cotonou Cotonou (; ) is the largest city in Benin. Its official population count was 679,012 inhabitants in 2012; however, over two million people live in the larger urban area. The urban area continues to expand, notably toward the west. The city lies ...

and

Ouidah Ouidah (English: ; French: ) or Whydah (; ''Ouidah'', ''Juida'', and ''Juda'' by the French; ''Ajudá'' by the Portuguese; and ''Fida'' by the Dutch), and known locally as Glexwe, formerly the chief port of the Kingdom of Whydah, is a city on t ...

, by the Compagnie Française des Chemins de Fer du Dahomey. It was constructed in and was long. By 1936 the line was further extended to

Parakou Parakou is the largest city in northern Benin, and the third-largest city in the country, with an estimated population of around 206,667 people, and capital of the Borgou Department. Administratively the commune of Parakou makes up one of Benin ...

, totalling and became known as the Northern Line. Railways of the World – Benin
''Sinfin.Net'' The full line remains operational. A 1930 stock list shows that the Northern Line was then operating 19 steam locomotives from its Cotonou steam shed.

Eastern Line

An eastern branch from Cotonou to Pobé () was constructed by Chemin de Fer de Porto Novo à Pobé, opening in stages between 1907 and 1912, and later named the Eastern Line. The Eastern Line was closed in 1990, apart from the section from Cotonou to

Porto Novo , , ; ; ; also known as Hogbonu and Ajashe) is the capital and second-largest city of Benin. The commune covers an area of and as of 2002 had a population of 223,552 people. In 1863, following British bombardment, Porto-Novo accepted French ...

(approximately one quarter of the line) on which freight services were retained, connecting with numbers of freight and industrial sidings in the capital district. This section was subsequently re-opened to passenger traffic in 1999, although this has since ceased again. A 1930 stock list shows that the Eastern Line was then operating 8 steam locomotives from its Cotonou steam shed.

Western Line

A western extension from Pahou on the Northern Line to Segboroué () was also constructed by the Compagnie Française des Chemins de Fer du Dahomey, and opened very shortly after the Northern Line. The Western Line is intact, but derelict. There are currently no train services operating on the line, whose regular passenger services last ran in the 1990s.

Narrow gauge

In common with many other former French colonial states, the usual track gauge in Benin is

. However, a number of narrow gauge railways have also operated historically, using gauge. The longest narrow gauge line was the ''Chemin de Fer d’Abomey-Bohicon-Zagnanado'', operating from

Abomey Agbome or Abomey is the capital of the Zou Department of Benin. The commune of Abomey covers an area of 142 square kilometres and, as of 2012, had a population of 90,195 people. Abomey houses the Royal Palaces of Abomey, a collection of small tr ...

on the Northern Line to Zagnanado, a distance of 49 km. It opened in 1927 and closed in 1947. The ''Chemin de Fer du Mono'' (in

Mono Department Mono is one of the twelve departments of Benin, with its capital at Lokossa. It is named for the Mono River which forms much of the Benin-Togo border, border with Togo. The northern areas of the department were split off to create the newly form ...

), operated from Segboroué (terminus of the Western Line) to Hévé (where it connected with ferry services), a distance of 27 km, from 1931 until 1947, when passenger services ceased. A 10 km section between Segboroué and

Comè Comè is a town and arrondissement located in the Mono Department of Benin Benin, officially the Republic of Benin, is a country in West Africa. It was formerly known as Dahomey. It is bordered by Togo to the west, Nigeria to the east, Burki ...

remained open for freight services from a quarry for several years, but is now closed. A third narrow gauge line operated on the original

wharf A wharf ( or wharfs), quay ( , also ), staith, or staithe is a structure on the shore of a harbour or on the bank of a river or canal where ships may dock to load and unload cargo or passengers. Such a structure includes one or more Berth (mo ...

at Cotonou, using an

0-4-0 Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, represents one of the simplest possible types, that with two axles and four coupled wheels, all of which are driven. The wheels on the earliest four-coupled locomotives were ...

steam tank engine. Several other minor industrial lines of 600 mm narrow gauge also operated at private commercial locations.

Operation

Operations by the ''Compagnie Française des Chemins de Fer du Dahomey'' and ''Chemin de Fer de Porto Novo à Pobé'' were nationalised in 1930. Today ''Organisation Commune Bénin-Niger des Chemins de Fer et des Transports'' (OCBN) operates services in Benin, and aims ultimately to operate them also in Niger. Freight services still operate regularly. Passenger services, which were regular and reasonably reliable until about 2006 have become sporadic, although the government is committed to restoring a full passenger service. There have been some experiments with tourist services and heritage trains, including the Train d'ebène (Ebony Train), and a 1997 heritage railway project using two YP locomotives from India, which is still under discussion. The Train d'ebène operates luxury tours using two coaches, one the former General Manager's private saloon, the other a former freight vehicle which has been converted into a bar car. A third coach, formerly the Presidential saloon, is undergoing restoration to join the train. In 2008 the government announced planned development of the railway including the purchase of three diesel locomotives to be supplied by Golden Rock Railway Workshop in India, and renewed plans for the extension of services northwards into Niger (see below). The three new powerful

Co-Co locomotives Co-Co is the wheel arrangement for Diesel locomotive, diesel and electric locomotives with two six-wheeled bogies with all axles powered, with a separate traction motor per axle. The equivalent UIC classification of locomotive axle arrangements ...

are numbered CC1301, CC1302, and CC1303.

Proposed extensions

Northern extension

In 2005 it was proposed that Gaya, in

be connected to the railway network of Benin, with a planned completion date of 2018. The plans were reaffirmed in 2008, but construction did not begin until 2013. Some construction work was completed, but the project stalled in 2015 due to a legal challenge, from local Beninese company Petrolin, which had been awarded the original 2008 contract for the extension work, but had lost the contract in 2013 to the Bollore group, a company representing a public-private partnership. In March 2018 President Patrice Talon again re-assigned the contract, this time to a consortium from China, also authorising the anticipated further extension within Niger to

Niamey Niamey () is the capital and largest city of Niger. As the Niamey Urban Community (, CUN), it is a Regions of Niger, first-level division of Niger, surrounded by the Tillabéri Region, in the western part of the country. Niamey lies on the Nige ...

; the estimated project cost had risen to USD$4 billion. Despite repeated setbacks, the project is continuing, and enjoys widespread regional support, as well as the strong personal backing of the

President of Niger This is a list of heads of state of Niger since the country gained independence from France in 1960 to the present day. A total of eleven people (not counting one acting) have served as head of state of Niger, all of them men and six of them m ...

Connections with Burkina Faso and Togo

Further extension plans include connections to

and

Connection with Nigeria

A standard gauge rail connection is planned from Parakou to

Ilorin Ilorin is the capital city of Kwara State located in the Western region of Nigeria. The city is a major hub for transportation and commerce in the region. . Retrieved 18 February 2007 Although Ilorin is classified under the North-Central g ...

in Nigeria, with some reports that construction work has already commenced.

Cities served by rail

Cities of Benin currently served by the country's railways are: *

– port *

– national capital *

– railhead (1936) *

Bohicon Bohicon or Gbɔ̀xikɔn is a city in Benin, and a conurbation of Abomey lying 9 kilometres east of the city on the railway line from Cotonou to Parakou and on Benin's main highway RNIE 2 which joins the RNIE 4. The commune covers an area of 139 ...

* Pobé – branch railhead *

* Segboroué – branch railhead in west. * Dassa-Zoume

Standards

* Coupling: Centre buffer and twin chains * Brakes:

Air An atmosphere () is a layer of gases that envelop an astronomical object, held in place by the gravity of the object. A planet retains an atmosphere when the gravity is great and the temperature of the atmosphere is low. A stellar atmosph ...

References

{{Africa in topic, Rail transport in