Train Express Régional (TER Dakar)

SETER (Société d'Exploitation du Train Express Régional, subsidiary of SNCF Voyageurs)
Senegal
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The Journey

Navigate from Dakar Gare Centrale (historic 1930s Art-Deco terminal; original 1887 Dakar–Saint-Louis railway corridor) to Diamniadio Station (purpose-built new administrative city terminus) across a span of 36km.

Scenery Highlights
  • Departure from the historic 1930s Dakar Gare Centrale (Art-Deco architecture; original 1887 Dakar–Saint-Louis railway terminus)
  • Cape Verde peninsula skyline receding eastward with the Atlantic glinting beyond the dunes
  • Suburban communes of Pikine and Guédiawaye — once the largest unplanned settlements in West Africa
  • Rufisque — historic colonial-era peanut-export port with 19th-century rail heritage (the original 1885 Dakar–Saint-Louis railway crossed here)
  • Bargny limestone quarries and the Atlantic coast glimpses beyond the Niayes greenbelt
  • Diamniadio — purpose-built new administrative city opened 2014–2024, hosting the Presidential Archives, Conference Centre, and the new Diamniadio University
Quick Facts
  • Duration

    0.65 hours

  • Distance

    36 km

  • Est. Price

    Ultra-affordable (500–2,500 XOF per ride)

Official Booking Provider
Classes & Accommodations

Meals: None

Ensuite: No

Meals: None

Ensuite: No

Engine / Locomotive

15 × Alstom Coradia Régiolis / Polyvalent bi-mode (electric 25 kV 50 Hz AC + diesel) 4-car EMU/DMU trainsets, plus 7 additional CAF-built trainsets on order for Phase 2 (the Coradia Polyvalent platform transferred from Alstom to CAF after the 2022 acquisition of Alstom's Coradia regional platform).

Locomotive Weight

N/A (distributed traction; 4-car multiple unit)

Track Gauge

1,435 mm (Standard gauge)

Braking Technology

Electric regenerative braking plus electro-pneumatic friction braking

Route Engineering Challenges

  • 36 km urban high-frequency corridor through dense Dakar suburbs

  • 25 kV 50 Hz AC overhead electrification on Phase 1

  • Bi-mode design for non-electrified Phase 2 section toward AIBD

  • Grade-separated right-of-way with full level-crossing elimination

  • Coastal-climate corrosion mitigation

  • Integration of Phase 2 (Diamniadio → AIBD airport) with Phase 1 operations

Line length (Phase 1 operational)

36 km

Total line length (Phase 1 + Phase 2)

55 km

Number of stations (Phase 1)

13

Top speed

160 km/h

Journey time Dakar → Diamniadio

~40 minutes

Service frequency

Every 10 minutes (peak)

Fleet (Phase 1)

15 × 4-car bi-mode trainsets

Fleet (Phase 2 additional)

7 × 4-car trainsets on order

Daily passengers (Phase 1, 2024–2025 average)

~60,000–80,000

Passengers carried since 2021 opening

60+ million (as of Oct 2024)

Owner / infrastructure authority

SEN-TER S.A.

Operator

SETER (subsidiary of SNCF Voyageurs)

Phase 1 opening date

27 December 2021

Phase 2 expected opening

Mid-2026 (dynamic testing in progress)

Quick Facts
  • Duration

    0.65 hours

  • Distance

    36 km

  • Est. Price

    Ultra-affordable (500–2,500 XOF per ride)

Official Booking Provider