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26-456: Although the railway was once the predominant transporter of passengers in the region, by 2000 it was facing strong competition from road transport. Now, the railway's main role is servicing international freight traffic (petroleum products, containers, fertilizers, grain, clinker, cement, cotton etc.) to and from Burkina Faso and the north of Côte d'Ivoire. As of 2024, there is no passenger traffic anymore. A passenger train still runs three times

52-405: A common practice throughout French West Africa at that time. The railway reached Bouaké in 1912, 315 kilometers north of Abidjan but construction was then suspended because of World War I . Work resumed in 1920, with the new project to extend the line into the new colony of Upper Volta (present Burkina Faso). Katiola was reached in 1924, Ferkessedougou in 1929 and Bobo-Dioulasso in 1934. Work

78-638: A historic episode that should not be forgotten. He died at his home in Paris on 14 January 1934, after suffering from rheumatism and effects of the wounds he received in World War I. Tambao Tambao is a Manganese deposit and potential mine site in the Oudalan Province , located in the Sahel Region , which the far northeastern part of Burkina Faso . Tambao has been estimated, when exploited, to be one of

104-502: A public enterprise jointly owned by Côte d'Ivoire and Upper Volta. RAN, which was financially viable until the mid-1970s, prioritised public transport, with 2.6 million passengers in 1967, 4 million in 1978 and 3.8 million in 1979. This policy allowed local people to engage in commercial activities over a far wider area for the first time. However, from the mid-1970s, operational and financial performance declined because of inadequate funding, bad management and increasing road competition. By

130-518: A railway to penetrate the interior. This led to Abidjan being chosen as the starting point for a line heading north to the “Baoulé country” in 1903. Building began in 1904 under the direction of Captain Crosson-Duplessis. The railway reached its first stations, Abgoville and Dimbokro, in 1907 and 1908 respectively. In 1909, the Abé people revolted against the colony's practice of conscripting forced labour,

156-487: A total workforce of 3470. Sitarail is technically and financially responsible for (a) the operation of freight and passenger services; (b) the maintenance (and in part the renewal) of rail infrastructure (track, structures, buildings, signaling, and telecommunications equipment); and (c) the current management of the real estate. Sitarail placed a new emphasis on the transportation of merchandise, which increased in value from 22 to 27 million CFA francs between 2006 and 2009. Of

182-549: A week, on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. The journey has been reported to take from 36 to 48 hours. The passenger train serves the following stations: Numerous proposals for establishing railways in the colony of Côte d'Ivoire were made in the 19th century by the French army officers Jean-Baptiste Marchand and Charles Houdaille . In 1889, the colonial authorities undertook a geographic and ethnographic survey, called la mission Houdaille , to establish whether it would be feasible for

208-717: The Battle of the Somme . He retired from the Army in 1919. In 1920, he was awarded the Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour . According to the British journalist Aubrey Kennedy (1885–1965) Marchand was reportedly unhappy with the change of name from Fashoda to Kodok, remarking to Tracy Philipps in the aftermath of a League of Nations meeting that he regretted the 'disappearance' of Fashoda, believing it to be

234-618: The 1980s, RAN was facing critical financial difficulties, and in 1989 it split into two separate state-owned companies, the Société Ivoirienne des Chemins de Fer (SICF) and the Société des Chemins de Fer du Burkina (SCFB). This separation only exacerbated the inefficiencies and led to an even greater shift to road transport. Faced with this crisis, and under pressure from the IMF and the World Bank ,

260-540: The 66 original railway stations, only 8 were retained. Traffic supervision is currently managed by the Bollore Group. Because of extensive track degradation and outdated rolling stock, the Ivorian and Burkinabe governments have drawn up various plans to renovate and improve the railway line: In 2013, a plan to renovate the railway, with the aim of preserving and developing the rail transportation of goods and people between

286-649: The British-controlled Nile. He arrived in Djibouti on 16 May 1899, having spent almost four years on his mission. This mission is commemorated by a monument in Paris in the Bois de Vincennes. Marchand later fought with French expeditionary forces in China during the 1900 Boxer Rebellion . He was promoted to the rank of General in 1915 during World War I and was wounded in 1915 in the Battle of Champagne and again in 1916 in

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312-534: The Burkinabe government tendered a series of openings for mining operations in Tambao, with Wadi Al Rawda Industrial Investments one early candidate thought likely to gain at least some concession. In 2010 two consortia emerged offering to develop an integrated mining and rail system which, in some proposals, would not only mine and process ore, but build longer rail lines to feed into the Ivorian rail network for export at

338-486: The French expedition some 600 kilometres to the south. Both sides insisted on control of Fashoda but the two commanders were diplomatic and the encounter was polite. It led to a period of intense diplomatic discussions between Paris and London, at the end of which the French Government ordered their forces to leave. Marchand had already been recalled to France and insisted on travelling through Abyssinia rather than down

364-449: The French military academy for training officers promoted from the ranks. He was commissioned as a sous-lieutenant on 18 December 1887, at the age of 24. After serving in the 1st Regiment of Infanterie de Marine for six months, Marchand transferred to the tirailleurs sénégalais (West African colonial infantry with French officers). He participated in the French conquest of Senegal and

390-573: The Nile, on 10 July 1898. Marchand rebuilt the fort, but the expected support from other French columns and from Abyssinia did not arrive. On 18 September, a detachment led by Sir Herbert Kitchener , commander of the Anglo-Egyptian army that had just defeated the forces of the Mahdi at the Battle of Omdurman , arrived at Fashoda. Following the battle Kitchener had opened sealed orders from London to investigate

416-437: The biggest hurdle to commercial exploitation of the Tambao reserves is the lack of an all weather roadway capable of supporting the transport fleet needed to move ore the 210 kilometres (130 mi) to Kaya , the nearest city connected to the Burkinabe road network. In 2010, the Burkinabe government carried out talks with investors from India aimed at building a 250 km railway line from Tambao to Kaya. Later that year,

442-590: The deposit and the corresponding villages. Manganese is mined here. For at least two decades it has been considered the most potentially lucrative mining resource in Burkina, and is believed the region's largest Manganese deposit, estimated at 20 million tonnes at %52 to %53 Manganese to ore, making it one of the cryptomelane -richest ore resources in the world. The site's inaccessibility and lack of infrastructure have prevented wide scale exploitation. Most recently, in 2010, mining companies refused bid on construction of

468-557: The early twentieth century, the road network was very limited even in the south, so all local produce - for example kola, palm oil , leather, maize and cotton - was channeled through the railway stations. However, local hubs such as Abgoville and Dimbokro declined in 1950s as road networks improved. Following independence in 1960, the Abidjan-Ouagadougou railway was managed and operated by the Régie des chemins de fer Abidjan-Niger (RAN),

494-530: The far north east of Burkina Faso. The plan was made in conjunction with the French transportation company Bolloré and the international mining and engineering company Pan African Minerals In 2017, a signed agreement to renovate the line. The original plan to create a rail loop that would also encompass Niamey , Cotonou and Lomé has not yet materialised. Jean-Baptiste Marchand Jean-Baptiste Marchand ( French pronunciation: [ʒɑ̃batist maʁʃɑ̃] ; 22 November 1863 – 14 January 1934)

520-399: The largest deposits in the region. Its development, a major priority of the Burkinabe state, has been an on and off project since the 1990s. Barely served by roads or other infrastructure, the Tambao reserves are some 210 kilometres (130 mi) north of Kaya and 350 kilometres (220 mi) northeast of the capital, namely Ouagadougou . The Tambao Airport has been recently built to serve

546-484: The necessary infrastructure for mining unless the government granted them mining concessions in the area. In 1993 InterStar Mining carried out 6 months of operations here, but were plagued by lack of supportive resources. Large scale exploitation was only again attempted by the Fompex consortium in 2004 and was quickly halted. Apart from total lack of operations infrastructure (power, water, construction or employment base)

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572-420: The two countries in satisfactory conditions of safety and comfort. The project involved renovating at least 50% of the rails at curves, and any weak tracks on straight sections; improving track maintenance efficiency; ensuring the continuous availability and safety of the track; and identifying the speed of trains. In 2014, a plan was to extend the line from Ouagadougou to Tambao , a lucrative manganese mine in

598-604: The two governments handed over the management of the entire line to the "Sitarail" consortium, an Ivorian private operator. Originally, the state-owned corporations, newly renamed the Société Ivoirienne de Patrimoine Ferroviaire (SIPF) and the Société de Gestion du Patrimoine Ferroviaire du Burkina (SOPAFERB) administered railway infrastructure while the state still owned the real estate. They also owned all rolling stock which they leased to Sitarail. These companies were eventually liquidated and Sitarail commenced its first year of operation in 1995. Sitirail rehired only 1815 staff out of

624-502: Was a French general and explorer in Africa. Marchand is best known for commanding the French expeditionary force during the 1898 Fashoda Incident . Marchand was born in Thoissey , Ain , on 22 November 1863. In 1883 he enlisted as a volunteer soldat (private soldier) in the 4th Regiment of Infanterie de Marine based at Toulon. In April 1886 he attended l’Ecole militaire de Saint-Maixent -

650-545: Was severely wounded in 1889 at the capture of Diena by the French. In 1890 lieutenant Marchand was taking part in the conquest of French Sudan. In 1896 he was sent to occupy the area around Fashoda , Sudan , now known as Kodok , and bring it under French control. After a 24-month trek on foot and by boat from Loango at the mouth of the Congo River Marchand's expedition of 20 French officers and NCOs and 130 French Senegalese troops arrived at Fashoda, an abandoned fort on

676-506: Was then halted in the north to resume work on the southern section from Abidjan to Agboville, but was suspended again by World War II . The line finally reached Ouagadougou in 1954. An extension to Kaya was completed in 1985, to eventually reach the manganese deposits in Tambao in the extreme north. To a certain extent, the new railway helped to develop the region, with towns along the line becoming new administrative and economic centres. In

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