Camrail Sleeper (Yaoundé–Ngaoundéré)

Camrail (Concessionnaire du Réseau Ferré du Cameroun)
Cameroon
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The Journey

Navigate from Yaoundé Train Station to Ngaoundéré Station across a span of 490km. This is an overnight service.

Scenery Highlights
  • Climatic Transition (Jungle to Sahel) at Dawn — the signature experience
  • Adamawa Plateau Baobab Groves
  • Rural Cameroonian Village Passages
  • Ngaoundéré Arrival in Semi-Desert Light
Quick Facts
  • Duration

    14 hours

  • Distance

    490 km

  • Est. Price

    Affordable (XAF 10,000–28,000)

Official Booking Provider
Classes & Accommodations

Meals: None

Ensuite: No

Meals: None

Ensuite: No

Meals: None (snacks and drinks available from attendants)

Ensuite: No

Meals: None (snacks and drinks available from attendants)

Ensuite: No

Engine / Locomotive

Mixed fleet: BB1100 (Alstom, 870hp), BB1200 (Alstom, 1200hp), CC2200 (Bombardier MX620, 2200hp), CC2500 (NREC, 2500hp), CC2600 (GM EMD 645, 2600hp), CC3300 (GE, 3300hp) — new Grindrod GPR3000 locomotives arriving 2026 with onboard diagnostics and AC cabs

Locomotive Weight

BB1100 ~70 tonnes; CC2500 ~120 tonnes

Track Gauge

1,000 mm (metre gauge)

Braking Technology

Air brake (Westinghouse) on modern locomotives; vacuum brake system retained on older rolling stock

Route Engineering Challenges

  • 490km single-track metre-gauge corridor with limited passing loops — scheduling constraints

  • Bélabo–Ngaoundéré section: planned rehabilitation (250M€ EU-funded) with potential temporary service disruptions

  • Tropical climate operating stresses (humidity, flooding, vegetation encroachment on right-of-way)

  • Bauxite freight traffic sharing the line (upgrades underway for 5M tonnes/year ore haulage from Minim and Martap deposits)

  • Oldest rolling stock (BB1100/BB1200) requiring ongoing brake system modernization

Network length

~1,000 km (Cameroon railway network)

Route

Yaoundé → Ngaoundéré

Distance

490 km

Locomotive fleet

39–50 diesel locomotives (mixed fleet)

Operator

Camrail (concession since 1999)

Infrastructure owner

Government of Cameroon

Journey time

~13h 40min northbound; ~14h southbound

Service

Daily (Train 191 northbound, Train 192 southbound)

2026 fleet upgrade

4 new Grindrod locomotives (GPR3000 series) arriving Q1 2026

Quick Facts
  • Duration

    14 hours

  • Distance

    490 km

  • Est. Price

    Affordable (XAF 10,000–28,000)

Official Booking Provider