Alstom to Deliver 15 Coradia Polyvalent Trains to Senegal
Alstom is about to ship fifteen of its modular Coradia Polyvalent regional trains to Senegal on the West African coast. They have been manufactured at the company’s Reichshoffen facility in France. The trains have also successfully completed on-site testing and approval by the buyer, APIX.
France and Senegal have good trading relations. Both countries are members of the Francophonie, an international body representing countries where French is the lingua franca, where a substantial percentage of the population speaks French or where there is a significant affiliation with French culture. Senegal is France’s third-largest trading partner in Africa. France is also Senegal’s largest foreign investor.
Coradia Polyvalent Transport
The first of the multiple units will be transported from Reichshoffen in northeast France to Le Havre in Normandy. Once there it will be loaded on to a vessel that is due to arrive in the Senegalese capital of Dakar in three weeks’ time – on 12 November. The bogies will be re-fitted on to the cars at the Colobane maintenance depot just outside of the city. Then the rolling stock can undergo static and dynamic testing.
Raphael Bernardelli, Managing Director North & Central Africa Alstom, said:
“The departure of the Coradia trains for Dakar is the crowning achievement of the tests conducted at Reichshoffen. It bears witness to the commitment of all Alstom teams to meeting our customers’ needs and expectations. We are proud to contribute to this important mobility project that will place Dakar among the first African cities to acquire such technology.”
Mr Montage SY, Managing Director APIX, said:
“We highly appreciate the on-time in-full delivery of Alstom. We are therefore delighted with the respect of the delivery schedule, especially for the trains, complying with the planning as previously decided by His Excellency Mr Macky SALL, President of the Republic of Senegal. The ambition of HIs Excellency Mr Macky SALL is to provide Senegal with a state-of-the-art transportation solution through the Regional Express Train.”
Senegal’s Regional Express Train Project
Senegal’s Regional Express Train Project is a key component of the country’s Plan for an Emerging Senegal. The Alstom Coradia Polyvalent regional trains are part of the Regional Express Train Project. Fifteen will be delivered in total. They will contribute to meeting the demand for transport solutions in Dakar. The trains will run on a new line that connects the city centre and the new international airport (Blaise Diagne). This line has fourteen stations and is 55km long. The end-to-end journey will take 45 minutes. It is estimated that up to 115,000 passengers will use the service every day. The rail connection between the airport and the capital is also important because Dakar will host the Summer Youth Olympics in 2022
The Coradia Polyvalent for Senegal
The rolling stock ordered by APIX is versatile in that it can operate both on diesel and in electric mode (25kV). The maximum speed of the multiple units is 160km/h. Each train comprises of four cars and has a total length of 72 metres. The trains have both first and second class with a maximum passenger capacity of 531.
