GABON: Christian Magni, the Director General of Société d’exploitation du Transgabonais, and Loic Ndinga Moudouma, Minister of Transport, have signed a contract for the next phase of modernisation of the 648 km Libreville – Franceville railway.
The government will contribute CFAFr130bn towards the estimated CFAFr359bn (€545m) cost, with the balance funded by SETRAG; work is expected to take three to four years.
The agreement covers the 200 km easternmost part of the Transgabonais railway from Milolé to Franceville, together with a 30 km central section from Ndjolé to Alembé. Both will have 50 kg/m rail wooden-sleepers replaced by 60 kg/m rail on double-block concrete sleepers.
Reconstruction of the western section between the port of Owendo, just south of Libreville, and Ndjolé is nearing completion. An estimated CFAFr230bn has been spent on the modernisation of 300 route-km, of which 225 km has had new rail laid.
Operator SETRAG’s 30-year concession began on August 11 2005, and the company now runs 17 weekly freight trains and passenger services on four days a week. It carried 10·9 million tonnes of freight and 248 000 passengers in 2022.
