Trans-Gabon Railway
The Trans-Gabon Railway (French: Transgabonais) is the only railway in Gabon. It runs 670 km east from Owendo port station in Libreville to Franceville via numerous stations, the main ones being Ndjolé, Lope, Booué, Lastoursville and Moanda.
Construction
A railway was first planned in 1885. Investigations into the line were conducted in 1968, funding was agreed in 1973, and construction began the following year. The first section, from Owendo to Ndjolé, opened in 1978, the remained opening in stages until December 1986. Costs were well over budget and almost bankrupted the country.
The Trans-Gabon Railroad is overall adjacent the Ogooue River until Ndjolé. Most important constructions are the Juckville Tunnel, the viaduct over the Abanga swamp, and the bridge over the confluence between the Ogooue and the Ivindo Rivers.
List of Stations
The Trans-Gabon Railway, 669km, has 23 stations. There are consecutively:
- Owendo, (Kilometre Point) KP 0, which is near Libreville
- Ntoum, KP 35,
- Andem, KP 57,
- M'Bel, KP 85,
- Oyan, KP 118,
- Abanga, KP 148,
- Ndjolé, KP 182,
- Alembe, KP 202,
- Otoumbi, KP 226,
- Bissouna, KP 244,
- Ayem, KP 267,
- Lope, KP 290
- Offoue, KP 312,
- Booue, KP 338
- Ivindo, KP 375
- Mouyabi, KP 411
- Milole, KP 448
- Lastoursville, KP 484
- Doume, KP 514
- Lifouta, KP 549
- Mboungou-Mbadouma, KP 584
- Moanda, KP 619
- Franceville, KP 669
Economy
Originally intended to reach Makokou and carry iron ore, its route was changed for political reasons, namely to keep within national borders managanese ore traffic that went on the COMILOG Cableway via the Republic of Congo. When the railway reached the manganese mine at Moanda, the Cableway was closed.
The railway is also important for transporting timber and uranium in addition to being the only important public transport route in the nation.
The railway was privatised in 1999. Plans regularly surface proposing an extension to Brazzaville in the Republic of the Congo. There would be a break-of-gauge should the Gabon (1435mm) and Congo (1067mm) systems ever meet.
Trivia
- The Trans-Gabon Railway is one of the few Central African railways which have not been built during the colonization.
- The Trans-gabon railway crosses the Ogooue River five times, at Franceville, at Ndjolé, and three times around Booue.
References
Minko Monique. 1983. Les communications Terrestres.in Geographie et Cartographie du Gabon, Atlas Illustré led by The Ministère de l'Education Nationale de la Republique Gabonaise. Pg 86-87. Paris, France: Edicef
