The Railways of Mali and Senegal, 2007

Thomas Kautzor reports on his visit between 1st and 6th December 2007. There is a 2010 update of this report available.

Mali Ministry of Transport (Passenger operations):

Operations were as reported in Continental Railway Journal 150, p. 196. However, the two ex-Argentinean EMD GT22CU-2 diesels rebuilt at TRACFER S.A. in 2006 and owned by the Ministry of Transport have now taken over passenger trains from Transrail locomotives, still driven by Transrail crews. They are identified (but not numbered) as X I and X II. The motive power and mainly regauged ex-SNCF rolling stock, which is now in very bad condition, for both the national and international passenger trains was to be replaced shortly by imports from India.

Already present was ex-India Railways YDM4 No. 6370 (Co-Co DE, DLW 142/1973-4) with plate “Refurbished at Central Workshops Goldenrock Indian Railways Oct. 2006” and a rake of ten 2^nd class coaches with plates “Built at R.C.F. Kapurthala 2006”, all painted in dark and light blue, received in February of 2007. This set was inaugurated and put into service on December 10, 2007 on the national service between Bamako and Kayes. Also part of the set, a covered wagon has been fitted with central coupling on one side to make the transition between the Indian stock, using a central coupler, and the traditional double-buffered stock. This wagon was repainted in the national colors of green-gold-red, the same livery as the two Argentinean locos.

Reported having arrived from India at the port of Dakar and awaiting transfer to Mali were another four diesel locomotives (3 for Mali, one for Senegal) and 28 coaches, which will be used on the international service between Bamako and Dakar. The locomotives were said not to be of the YDM4 type, but brand-new ones equipped with 12 cylinder V-engines and an output of 2,300 h.p. Five out of the 28 coaches are 1^st class air-conditioned.

Transrail S.A.:

The Bamako-Korofina workshops were visited on December 3, 2007, and the motive power situation was as follows (all ex-RCFM, except CC 2002 and CC 2477-CC 2489 which are ex-SNCS): 

Units repainted in Transrail’s red livery include CC 2283/9 

Also still present at Korofina was the little Pinguely 0-6-0T (No. 143/1902, 15 t., ex C.F. du Morbihan No. 14).

The following inspection and maintenance railcars were present at Korofina:

Derelict at the former track maintenance yard located between Bamako station and the old disused running shed were the following maintenance and inspection railcars:

The following ex-SNCS units, taken over by Transrail S.A., were reportedly in Sénégal:

One of CC1701/2 was said to have been restored or being under restoration to be used for shunting duties at Dakar.

Petit Train de Banlieue (PTB), Dakar:

This company operates the suburban services between Dakar and Rufisque (Mo-Sa, 29 km, 13 pairs of trains), as well as a pair of trains from Thiaroye to Dakar (Mo-Sa, 15 km) and from Thiès to Dakar (daily, 70 km). Stock in use consisted of former SNCS class CC 1600 diesel locos (Bo’Bo’-de, Alsthom AD16B, 10 built in 1979/84/87), with rakes of regauged ex-SNCF centre-entrance ‘Bruhat’ coaches or more recent Pakistani coaches (Pakistani Railways Carriage Factory Islamabad 1991). However, these have also recently been replaced by stock from India, with at least five refurbished YDM4s (one with plate “Goldenrock Workshops Aug. 2006”) numbered in the CC 1500 series. The stock is liveried blue and grey.

In Dakar, all trains (including the international train to Bamako) now depart from Hann station at km 3, with the former station only used as a stabling point for rolling stock. This follows a decision by the Senegalese government to demolish this historic building to make way for new developments, and this decision has been opposed by the railway worker’s unions. At the moment, tickets for the international trains are still sold at the former station.