SITARAIL, a company that operates the railways in Ivory Coast and Burkina Faso, continually invests in curative and preventive maintenance, the acquisition of new modern work equipment, the creation and strengthening of skills, etc. in order to be more efficient and respond effectively to the supply and opening-up needs of Burkina Faso.
Renovation of tank wagons and TC Jet
SITARAIL continues the renovation of tank wagons in its maintenance workshops. Indeed, started since January 2020, this operation, which concerns a total of 202 tank wagons, consists of a general overhaul of the tanks and the various towing devices, as well as the resumption of the coating, the calligraphy and other useful indications . To date, 63 tank wagons have already been treated and put back into service by the SITARAIL teams. The final objective of the operation, according to the company, is to guarantee the availability of the equipment necessary for supplying Burkina Faso.
Renewal of axle stock
Since the beginning of September 2023, the SITARAIL technical teams have begun a vast operation to implement new wheels which will be used to equip railway rolling stock, in particular wagons and locomotives, which require them. In total, more than 1,300 new wheels, recently acquired by the company since 2020 to date, are being implemented. The aim is to guarantee the availability of rolling stock for the continued supply of Burkina Faso by rail. The axle is the part that supports the load of a vehicle and ensures its movement on the track. It consists of two wheels mounted on an axle, at each end of a box equipped with bearings. As such, it is a major organ of railway safety, hence the importance of its maintenance.
Modern workshops for renovation and renewal work
The renovation work on tank wagons and TC Jet, and renewal of the stock of axles is taking place in SITARAIL workshops, numbering three (03) across the entire network, including one (01) in Abidjan, one (01) in Bobo-Dioulasso and one (01) in Ouagadougou. Very recently, the company had noted the implementation, since 2019, of a vast program to strengthen and modernize its workshops, as part of the maintenance of railway equipment. With a total cost of more than 3 billion FCFA, this investment enabled the acquisition and installation of new and modern equipment in the wagon, rolling stock and engine workshops of Bobo-Dioulasso and Abidjan, in order to strengthen the company’s maintenance tools for more efficient and secure rail traffic.
As a reminder, SITARAIL is the subsidiary of AGL (Africa Global Logistics), which has operated the railways in Ivory Coast and Burkina Faso since August 1995. SITARAIL transports an average of 1,000,000 tonnes of freight each year. Before the outbreak of COVID-19, the company transported 200,000 travelers annually. To date, actions are underway for an imminent resumption of passenger traffic. It employs around 1,500 people and constitutes, thanks to its activity and its actions in favor of health, education and the environment, an essential vector of socio-economic development and regional integration in South Africa. ‘West.
Joshua Bonkoungou
