After five years of work and several postponements, the Dakar Regional Express Train also called TER is finally on track. An important success for the government of Macky Sall which made him one of the symbols of his second term.
According to local news agencies, the first train sets off on its first official trip today, around 2:00 p.m. About ten minutes later, the second follows with a few privileged people on board.
This maiden voyage already gives an idea of the importance that the TER is expected to assume over time. It only took about an hour and a quarter to complete the 35 km between Dakar and Diamniadio.
Certainly far from the 20 minutes announced, but it is already an achievement in a city suffocated by the terrible traffic jams and saving time for users.
Travelers will now be able to “leave the suburbs” and “reach the city center in record time,” said one of the passengers, “with a level of safety that could not be imagined.”
565 passengers every ten minutes
With a frequency of 6 trains per hour and a cruising speed of 16 km / h, the TER will initially serve 13 stations between Dakar and the new town of Diamniadio. With a total of 565 seats, tickets vary between 500 and 2,500 CFA francs.
Source: News Agencies