The 19-kilometre double-track line, including a new station, came into service this week, completing the planned transport network designed to facilitate travel for visitors arriving in Senegal for the Youth Olympic Games, which begin on 31 October.
Just weeks before the first Olympic event ever to be held in Africa gets underway, the Regional Express Train section is taking on the second phase of the project, as participants arriving at Blaise Diagne International Airport will be able to travel directly by train to Diamniadio and then continue on to Dakar.
According to Ibrahima Wade, coordinator of the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games Organising Committee, around 30,000 people are accredited for the Games, with almost half of them, around 15,000, expected to come from abroad.
Yesterday’s opening ceremony was attended by Senegal’s Minister of Land and Air Transport, Serigne Abdoul Ahad Ndiaye, and the Minister of Infrastructure, Déthié Fall. Locally elected representatives and members of Parliament were also present.
The new infrastructure also includes signalling equipment and seven new dual-mode trains, which can operate on both electricity and diesel. With their addition, the TER fleet now comprises 22 trains.
On the Dakar-Diamniadio line, trains will run every eight minutes, while services between Diamniadio and AIBD will operate every 24 minutes.
The government had set 27 September as the deadline for the line to enter service as part of the preparations for the Games, meaning the project has been delivered on schedule.
From 31 October to 13 November, Dakar, Diamniadio and Saly will host the event.
With thousands of athletes, delegations, officials and visitors expected, transport and mobility will be a key part of the Olympic experience.
With the TER now reaching AIBD, Dakar and its main international airport are directly connected by rail.
Around 30 kilometres from the capital, Diamniadio is a rapidly developing area that has become one of Senegal’s major infrastructure hubs.
Beyond the public transport network, Dakar 2026 will have a dedicated mobility system for the Games, combining shuttle bus services with the TER.
The network will connect competition venues, non-sporting facilities and official hotels from 23 October to 16 November, from one week before the start of the competition until several days after its conclusion, also helping staff travel between the different locations.
The mobility plan therefore goes beyond the creation of new infrastructure, instead focusing on integrating different modes of transport to ensure connectivity between the three areas hosting the Games.-Insidethegames
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