Ouagadougou-Bobo-Dioulasso Sitarail

SITARAIL (Société Internationale de Transport Africain par Rail — Bolloré Transport & Logistics 50.4% + State of Burkina Faso 49.6%)
Burkina Faso
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The Journey

Navigate from Ouagadougou Central Station (Gare Sitarail, Avenue de la Gare, Ouagadougou) to Bobo-Dioulasso Railway Station (Gare Sitarail, Avenue de la Nation, Bobo-Dioulasso) across a span of 350km.

Scenery Highlights
  • Bobo-Dioulasso 1934 Gare Sitarail — neo-colonial Sudano-Sahelian station with attached railway museum (the largest surviving colonial-era railway station in Burkina Faso)
  • Karfiguéla Cascades (Banfora) — multi-drop waterfall 12 km south of Banfora town on the Comoé river tributary
  • Domes de Fabedougou (Sindou Peaks) — natural stone-tower labyrinth 30 km west of Banfora
  • Banforian clay-precipice Falaise de Banfora — exposed sandstone mesa at the western turn-around arc
  • Mossi Plateau granite inselbergs visible from the Koro stop commentary
  • Endless Sudano-Sahelian savannah around Koudougou
  • Faso Dan Fani textile (traditional Mossi hand-woven cotton) workshop visits at Koudougou and Yako
  • Grand Marché de Bobo-Dioulasso market stalls 700 m north of Bobo station (Thu market day matches return service)
Quick Facts
  • Duration

    7 hours

  • Distance

    350 km

  • Est. Price

    Ultra-affordable (XOF 6,000 standard ≈ EUR 9.15)

Official Booking Provider
Classes & Accommodations

Meals: None — vendors board at major stops (Koudougou, Banfora, Bobo) selling tô, soumbala, Bissap, Capitaine fish

Ensuite: No

Meals: None — vendors on platform

Ensuite: No

Meals: None

Ensuite: No

Engine / Locomotive

CC-CN-GL30 diesel-electric mainline locomotives (4 new units commissioned February 2026 by Sitarail-Conakry diesel-rebuild programme; aux diesel: BAMO CC-201 heritage ALSTHOM 1967 still in reserve roster)

Locomotive Weight

Approx. 80 tonnes (CC-CN-GL30); 64 tonnes (CC-201 heritage)

Track Gauge

1,000 mm (metre gauge)

Braking Technology

Air brakes — Westinghouse-style pneumatic (modern) on the 2026 rolling stock; older Knorr on the 1968 Brissonneau-et-Lotz carriages (still adequate for 80 km/h regional operation)

Route Engineering Challenges

  • Sahel extreme temperature variations — Dioula thermal gradients 12-42°C across the year drive rail-stresses and require seasonal rail-tensioning

  • Seasonal flooding affecting track — Banfora river bridge deck submerges 50 cm above bed level during Aug-Sep rainy-season peaks

  • Limited maintenance infrastructure — only Ouagadougou and Bobo-Dioulasso have workshop facilities; Koudougou and Banfora sidings are tamp-and-patch only

  • Mossi Plateau granite inselberg cuttings — tors and bosses from Koro southwards force longer curves and lower track speeds (60 km/h regional cap)

  • Harmattan haze Jan-Feb — sand-encrustation of running gear forces more frequent maintenance intervals on wagons and brakes

  • Lack of through-traffic into Côte d'Ivoire means revenue limited to the 350 km domestic segment only; staff and crew utilisation low

  • Cross-border security instability east of Bobo-Dioulasso means no future extension of the network to San or Léo is plausible before 2028

Builder

AFC (Chemins de fer de l'Afrique Occidentale — colonial), 1904-1954; SITARAIL workshop, 1995-present operator-led rolling-stock renewal

Operator

SITARAIL (Société Internationale de Transport Africain par Rail — Bolloré Transport & Logistics 50.4% + State of Burkina Faso 49.6%)

Currency

XOF (West African CFA franc, BCEAO XOF 655.957 = EUR 1)

Schedule

Weekly each direction (Tuesday southbound 09:00 Ouaga → 16:00-18:00 Bobo; Thursday northbound 07:00 Bobo → 14:00-16:00 Ouaga)

Status

Active — service running year-round with one round-trip per week (Tue + Thu)

International Service

Abidjan-Ouagadougou through-train suspended since 2019; cross-border freight continues

Languages

On-board commentary: French (mandatory); Dioula and Mooré by informal conductor familiarity; English rare on this route

Locomotive Roster

4× CC-CN-GL30 (Feb 2026) + 1× CC-201 heritage (1967) reserve

Electrification

None — diesel-only traction throughout

Operator website

sitarail.net / sitarail.ci (corporate head-office Abidjan-Treichville)

Train Type

Heritage metre-gauge regional consist (1 locomotive + 2-3 second-class carriages, 64-seats per 1968 Brissonneau, 14 seats per 2026 CC-CN-GL30 climate set)

Network

SITARAIL operates 1,145 km of metre-gauge (1,000 mm) Abidjan–Ouagadougou corridor; passenger service confined to 350 km Ouagadougou–Bobo-Dioulasso domestic segment

Quick Facts
  • Duration

    7 hours

  • Distance

    350 km

  • Est. Price

    Ultra-affordable (XOF 6,000 standard ≈ EUR 9.15)

Official Booking Provider