History of rail transport in Madagascar

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History

C. de F. de Madagascar 0-4-4-0 Mallet locomotive, built by Baldwin Locomotive Works.

The history of rail transport in Madagascar began at the end on the nineteenth century, with the construction of industrial and military

Diego-Suarez (now Antsiranana).[1][2][3]

These were closely followed by the construction a

Ampasimanolotra) and Madagascar's capital, Tananarive (now Antananarivo) in 1909. This line was extended to Toamasina, the country's chief seaport in 1913. The line is known as the Tananarive–Côte Est railway (TCE).[1] It subsequently became the nucleus of a network of three railways, the Network North (French
: Réseau Nord).

Between 1926 and 1936, an isolated line, the Fianarantsoa-Côte Est railway (FCE), was built, again in metre gauge, in the south east of the island. The FCE is known as Southern Network (French: Réseau Sud).

Management

The two separate networks were combined under the same management in 1944.

On 1 January 1951 Régie des chemins de fer de Madagascar (RCFM) came into operation.

The whole system was nationalized in 1974.

It became a state corporation on 6 May 1982 as Réseau National des Chemins de Fer Malagasy (RNCFM).[2]

By the 1990s, the national system was very run down and the Malagasy government decided to privatize it. In 2003 Network North was concessioned to a

parastatal operation. In 2022 the private investors desisted and the company is now 100% owned by the state of Madagascar.[4]

Railways on Madagascar

Existing lines

All of the above are of 1,000mm gauge.

Service on the line from Antananarivo to Antsirabe ceased the mid-1990's after the passage of the Cyclone Ana damaged a bridge over the river Sasaony.[5] The line between Antananarivo and Antsirabe re-opened on 2 December 2023.[6]

There had been also a project to connect the port of

Lac Alaotra
. This was never realized.

Decauville locomotive at Namakia

Former Lines

  • Antananarivo-Alarobia: 4km, a tramway in the capital city, 2.5 km of which is incorporated in to the TCE line.
  • Antsirabe-Vinaninkarena: 13 km, an extension of the TA line completed in 1986.
  • Ambatondrazaka-Ambatosoratra: 25km, a closed section of the MLA line.

All of the above were of 1,000mm gauge.

In addition there were a number of industrial and military lines including:

  • Sucreries de Nosy-Bé et de la Côte Est (SNBCE), around 13km of 914mm gauge.[7]
  • Sucrerie de Brickaville (now Vohibinany), around 10km of 600mm gauge.[7]
  • Sucrerie de Namakia, around 10 km of 600mm gauge to Mahajanga from the sugar factory in Namakia.[7]
  • Sucrerie de la Mahavavy, Ambilobe, around 10km line of 600mm gauge to a river wharf at Port Saint-Louis.[7]
  • Diego-Suarez)-Mahatsinjarivo Fort, around 13km of 600mm gauge Decauville line.[2]
  • Anamaki-Antongombato, around 8km of 600mm gauge Decauville line operated by Graineterie Française.[2][7]
  • Antsiranana-Camp de Sakamary, around 25km of 600mm gauge Decauville line, the Diego Suarez railway.[3][7]
  • Morondova-Four à Chaux, around 11km operated by Gites Minéraux de Madagascar (GMM).[7]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Histoire de Madagascar - les Rues de Diego Suarez : le Quartier Militaire". latribune.cyber-diego.com (in French). 2011-07-10. Retrieved 2023-12-18.
  2. ^ a b c "Histoire : A toute vapeur dans la campagne : les locos de Diego Suarez (1)". latribune.cyber-diego.com (in French). 2012-07-11. Retrieved 2023-12-18.
  3. ^ a b "Histoire : A toute vapeur dans la campagne : les locos de Diego Suarez (2)". latribune.cyber-diego.com (in French). 2012-07-25. Retrieved 2023-12-18.
  4. ^ L'Express de Madagascar: Ligne Antananarivo-Antsirabe
  5. ^ L'Express de Madagascar: Ligne Antananarivo-Antsirabe
  6. ^ Ouverture de la ligne TA (Antananarivo – Antsirabe) pour la circulation des trains. Le 02 décembre 2023, par message du Chef de District Voie à 9H40, la... | By Madarail | Facebook, retrieved 2023-12-20
  7. ^ a b c d e f g Dickinson, Rob (15 March 2012). "Industrial Heritage in Madagascar, 2012 Part 1". www.internationalsteam.co.uk. Retrieved 2023-12-18.

Further reading

External links

Media related to Rail transport in Madagascar at Wikimedia Commons

madarail website

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