Togo Revives Rail Link Between Lomé Port and Adétikopé Industrial Hub by 2028
West Africa's logistics landscape is set for a meaningful transformation as Togo moves to restore freight rail services between the Autonomous Port of Lomé (PAL) and the Adétikopé Industrial Platform (PIA). The project will make use of roughly 40 kilometres of rehabilitated metre-gauge railway, with the infrastructure remaining firmly in public hands while freight operations are entrusted to a private concessionaire. Services could realistically begin from 2028, marking a significant shift in how goods move through one of the region's busiest maritime gateways.
The revival is not about bringing back widespread passenger services across Togolese territory. The project primarily targets freight transport, particularly containers moving between the Port of Lomé and the Adétikopé Industrial Platform [[1]](https://beninwebtv.com/en/in-togo-how-faure-gnassingbe-wants-to-revive-rail-transport). That focus is deliberate and strategic, since rail freight can carry large volumes while placing far less pressure on the country's road network For anyone who has watched the congestion around Lomé's port corridor, the appeal is obvious.
The rehabilitation of this line has been specifically designed to enable efficient container transfer by rail, a move that promises to ease chronic congestion around the port area [[2]](https://www.tendersgo.com/post/togo-logistics-rail-upgrade-adtikop-project-9864). This matters more than it might first appear. Smoother cargo flows mean less heavy truck traffic on roads that also serve tourism and business travellers, improving journey times and safety for everyone moving between Lomé and the interior.
Financial backing adds credibility to the plan. Togo has secured 200 million US dollars in World Bank financing to modernise its road and rail transport, with the first component of the programme focused squarely on rehabilitating the railway line linking the Port of Lomé and the Adétikopé Industrial Platform to enable container transport by rail [[3]](https://www.togofirst.com/en/transport/2306-19331-togo-secures-200-million-world-bank-financing-to-modernize-road-and-rail-transport). Such institutional support signals that this is a serious, well-structured undertaking rather than another ambitious announcement destined to fade quietly.
Togo's railway history helps explain why this project carries symbolic weight. Construction of the country's first railway line, the Lomé–Aného railway, began in 1904 [[4]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rail_transport_in_Togo), and by around 1980 the network carried approximately 1.5 million passengers and 112,000 long tons of freight each year using 20 diesel locomotives, ten railcars, sixty passenger cars and 375 wagons [[5]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_rail_transport_in_Togo). All passenger services ceased in 1999 leaving much of the historic network out of service. In 2002, a concession placed responsibility for operating and rehabilitating the national metre-gauge network with Togo Rail S.A. under a 25-year agreement aimed at reviving both passenger and freight services [[6]](https://grokipedia.com/page/rail_transport_in_togo).
Looking further ahead, the government has included in its national development plan the construction of a 760 kilometre railway from Lomé to Cinkassé on the border with Burkina Faso [[7]](https://www.railwaygazette.com/category/togo/). Should that ambition advance, Togo would strengthen its position as a transit corridor for landlocked Sahelian markets, with genuine implications for regional trade and, eventually, cross-border travel.
For travel and tourism professionals across sub-Saharan Africa, there are several threads worth following here. Improved logistics infrastructure typically precedes broader economic growth, and growing industrial activity at places like Adétikopé generates corporate travel demand, hotel occupancy, conference bookings and business-related ground transport needs. Agents serving corporate accounts in West Africa should anticipate rising requirements for accommodation and meeting facilities around Lomé in the coming years.
There is also a longer-term possibility that deserves attention. Once freight operations stabilise and rolling stock investment proves viable, the commercial logic for reintroducing selected passenger services may strengthen considerably. Rail tourism remains an underdeveloped product across much of West Africa, and destinations that eventually offer scenic or practical rail options gain a distinctive selling point. Togo's willingness to rebuild rather than abandon its railway heritage positions the country well for whatever opportunities emerge from this quiet but consequential investment.
