DAKAR, SENEGAL: Reconstruction of the legacy metre-gauge freight rail line in Dakar is now complete. The consortium of NGE Contracting, CIM and CDE led by TSO had been tasked with rebuilding and realigning the metre-gauge freight railway line linking Dakar with Diamniadio as part of the Regional Express Train (TER) programme. The new freight rail link is expected to substantially improve the transportation of freight to and from Dakar, while minimizing derailment risks.
Acting on behalf of the Ministry of Infrastructure, Land Transport and a Better-Connected Nation, APIX (Senegal’s National Agency for Investment Promotion and Major Projects) awarded the TSO-led consortium the contract to lay 51 km of new rail track in just 2 years. TSO hired and trained up to 160 employees for the project which involved the installation of:
- 86,000 sleepers
- 5,700 tonnes of rails
- 23 points and crossovers
- 150,000 tonnes of ballast
To ensure high levels of performance and security, TSO applied an operational process proven in France and around the world. Experienced teams and TSO-owned equipment including TSO’s most advanced rail welder, ballast tampers, and ballast grading and levelling wagons were deployed in this project. TSO maintained full control of all technical preparations, purchasing and the entire logistics chain to ensure continuity of supply throughout the project.
Check the video here.
“This project has been a human, logistical and technical challenge that we have successfully met in an on-site environment with high levels of parallel working,” said Sylvain Peltier, NGE Group’s Country Manager for Senegal. Aware of the need to adopt new working methods to protect against COVID-19, Sylvain praised the team members’ “responsiveness, their ability to adapt working methods, and their strict enforcement of personal protective measures to complete the work under conditions that guaranteed the safety of everyone working on the project.”
“This was our first new rail infrastructure project in Senegal. It has also been an excellent springboard for the NGE Group because it demonstrates our ability to deliver infrastructure projects in Senegal as the basis for developing our global multi-expertise offering,” said Michel Vinay, NGE Group’s Director, Francophone Africa.