These disruptions come as a landslide on December 24 had completely suspended the operation of the country’s only railway line for many months.
No sooner had it resumed service than the Gabonese railway was once again blocked. According to operating company Setrag, the baggage car of a passenger train ran off the track. The convoy was finally able to resume its march to the terminus on the outskirts of Libreville. At the same time, the derailment of freight train 5111 between Mouyabi and Ivindo, in the northeast of the country, caused material damage. According to Setrag, rehabilitation work is underway, but traffic has had to be suspended until further notice. ” The teams are hard at work to restore traffic as soon as possible. “, says the company.
This interruption comes just three days after the complete resumption of traffic on the Transgabonais. Its only railway line had been blocked more than three months after a landslide, forcing the authorities to organize an airlift.
The rail, 648 km long, inaugurated in 1978, makes it possible to open up entire regions and transport precious minerals. The railway transports 6 million tons of goods and 330,000 passengers per year. It stretches over difficult soils, passes through dense forests or swamps. In 2015, a vast upgrade plan was launched. Ghislain Malanda, president of the union of agents of the Ministry of Transport, nevertheless speaks of a railway ” aging, overused, and unsuited to the current context “. The trade unionist asks that a review and a total repair of the line be carried out. Otherwise, he fears, eventually, “ a large-scale disaster “.