In my previous article, I provided a background on the development and subsequent closure of the colonial era railway network.
This article presents the strategic relevance and urgency, and the benefits of reintroducing a national railway system to transport both passengers and goods(freight/cargo).
It is no secret that Sierra Leone has abundant natural resources, a diverse geography and an economy that is expanding. However, these advantages are undermined by an inadequate transport infrastructure that hampers economic development as well as national integration. The existing transportation system largely depends on road networks, which are usually insufficient and not well maintained.
The current reliance on road network results in high transportation costs, inefficiencies, and limited connectivity, particularly for the movement of bulk commodities like minerals and agricultural products.
This situation worsens regional disparities, limits market access, and stifles the country’s overall development potential. Furthermore, the lack of alternative transportation modes contributes to increased road congestion, environmental degradation, and safety risks.
A national railway system would not only move people, it would enhance tourism experience, open access to new destinations, support sustainability, and help local economies grow. Fundamentally, a national railway system is required to improve the efficiency and productive capacities of companies be it mining, manufacturing, or agriculture.
Building a national railroad network could transform our economic landscape through providing reliable and cost-effective means of moving goods and people across the country and the ECOWAS sub-region.
This would improve both domestic and international trade by enhancing accessibility to ports and neighboring countries. It would also develop an overall infrastructure by attracting local and foreign investors into business environment.
Railways are an important mode of transportation. They are the cheapest and most effective and efficient over medium distances for mass transit. A standard railway can transport more people or cargo in one movement than 15 buses or 150 trucks, respectively.
They are the cheapest for bulk carriage over land and the most environmentally friendly transport mode for heavy cargo. An efficient national railway system would boost the nation`s economic growth by facilitating trade, reducing transportation costs, and connecting markets.
A national railway transportation also would be a strategic element in connecting mining and agricultural sector development in Sierra Leone, both in terms of benefits to the country and investors and would-be investors in the two industries.
In launching his flagship “Feed Salone” program in October 2023, His Excellency the President remarked that “Feed Salone is more than just a development Programme. It is a Generational Movement to propel Sierra Leone into an era of agricultural self-reliance, where every man, woman, and child is a witness to and a participant in a flourishing economy marked by food security, job creation, and overall economic prosperity”.
A key objective of the Feed Salone strategy is to boost agricultural production of staple crops such as rice, poultry, onions, and cassava flour to reduce reliance on food imports and to ensure food availability. A national railway system would support the implementation of the “Feed Salone” strategy, through the efficient and reliable transport of agricultural products from farm to domestic and international markets. It would make it easy to move perishable goods quickly from farms to markets, leading to less spoilage and wastage. It also would provide an opportunity for farmers in remote or rural areas to reach urban markets, which would not force them to sell locally at lower prices or leaving them unable to sell at all.
A national railway system would reduce the cost of moving agricultural goods, and in turn, increase farmers` profit margins and reduce food prices for consumers. Furthermore, a railway system would facilitate the movement of agricultural inputs such as, fertilizers, seeds, and machinery. It would ensure that farmers get these inputs on time, which would increase productivity.
In addition to supporting the agriculture sector, a national railway system would support the mining industry. Currently, there is only one functional rail track with limited capacity and port infrastructure. To accommodate increased production in the mining sector, and subsequently to ensure cheaper transportation of minerals to seaports for exportation, the railway industry needs to be up-scaled and regulated. For instance, the existing railway line between the Port of Pepel and the Iron Ore Site at Ferengbeya would need to be upgraded to a double-track to accommodate the projected increase iron ore extraction by Kingho Mining. Furthermore, a railway line may be required to connect the proposed iron ore mining site at Kasafoni to the existing railway line at Ferengbeya, or a separate line could be constructed from the proposed mining site to a new port. In addition, the existing what at Nitti has a relatively small capacity because it does not have adequate draft to accommodate bigger vessels. This limits the volume of minerals that is exported by mining companies. Given that the mineral extraction in the South is projected to increase exponentially, a railway line could be constructed to connect mining sites in the South to a proposed deep sea port in the South. This is important because a railway line would reduce export lead time.
Another strategic relevance and urgency of a national railway system is to address urban mobility issues in Freetown. These issues are a result of our inability to keep pace with the growing demand, mismanagement of road space and decades of neglect. It will take many years to solve the underlying problems in a sustained manner. The way forward will focus on testing and scaling up pilot solutions and build capacity to ensure sustainable results. The city’s road network has for long been experiencing a very rapid growth in vehicular traffic well beyond its capacity, leading to severe traffic congestion on most of the road links and junctions, especially during peak hours. The current rate of increase in traffic volume and the fast rate of urbanisation require an adequate, efficient, and sustainable transportation system, including light rail transit(LRT). For instance, a Light Rail Transit line could be implemented along the Peninsular to connect Waterloo to River No. 2, where a bus transit terminal is to be constructed under the World Bank Funded Connectivity and Agricultural Market Infrastructure Project(CAMIP). The connection of these two transport infrastructure would form a reliable and efficient intermodal transport system. Furthermore, a national railway system would provide intercity railway transport to connect Freetown to provincial cities. This would serve as a key part of our nation’s transportation infrastructure, providing an efficient, reliable, and often environmentally friendly alternative to traveling by road.
In addition to railway, the maritime sector is vital for global trade. Ports are increasingly becoming multimodal hubs through which the railway sector can increase its market share. Ports and rail systems are critical components of global supply chains. They facilitate the movement of goods by connecting shipping routes to inland transportation networks. In the not-too-distant future, the competitiveness of ports will increasingly be judged by their railway connectivity. Therefore, most ports are investing to increase their rail capacity and rail modal share through the development of railway infrastructure. Improving the modal share of rail depends on a multitude of factors, but one key element is the link between ports and rail. Studies have shown that the main goods transported by rail are metal products, which represent 43% of the goods transported, followed by raw materials (29%), chemicals (14%), agricultural products and forestry (8%), and food and drinks (6%). It is one of the reasons why most ports have plans to improve their rail modal share. In this regard, an efficient national railway system that is interconnected with our ports would enhance our ports` competitiveness and would support economic growth.
In conclusion, despite our rich natural resources and strategic geographic location, our economic and social progress is impeded by the aforementioned transportation inefficiencies. The existing infrastructure is unable to support the country’s growth ambitions, leading to missed opportunities for trade, investment, and regional integration. Therefore, there is pressing need for a modern, efficient, and sustainable national railway transportation solution to address these challenges and unlock the country’s full potential. The benefits of a national and regional railway network system will include, but are not limited to Creation of numerous jobs in construction, maintenance, and operation of the railway sector. Developing a national railroad network could transform the economic landscape through providing reliable and cost-effective means of moving goods and people across the country and the sub-region(West Africa). This would improve both domestic and international trade by enhancing accessibility to ports and neighboring countries. There would be increased investor confidence in the industry. A national railway system would reduce the cost of moving agricultural goods and reduce food prices for consumers. It would reduce the average cost transporting minerals to seaports for exportation. Another strategic relevance and urgency of a national railway system is to address urban mobility issues in Freetown. In view of the foregoing, there is certainly a need to develop a national railway system. In my next article, I will highlight the ECOWAS Railway masterplan and its goal of connecting capital cities in the ECOWAS sub-region by rail. Also, I will explain how our proposed national railway masterplan will align with the ECOWAS railway masterplan.
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