A review and analysis of railway transportation system in the economic community of West African States: Towards the development of sustainable regional goal
School of Civil Engineering, Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu 610031, China.
Review Article
Global Journal of Engineering and Technology Advances, 2020, 02(02), 011-022.
Article DOI: 10.30574/gjeta.2020.2.2.0004
Publication history:
Received on 24 January 2020; revised on 06 February 2020; accepted on 08 February 2020
Abstract:
A comprehensive evaluation of the current state of the railway transport system in eleven countries of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) is presented. Four themes of the railway transportation system comprise of infrastructure, rolling stock, operational performance, telecommunication and signaling are examined in the article. The transport policy regarding the railway transport system is analyzed along with the regulation and institutional framework. The findings of this study show that the railway transportation system is characterized by deteriorated infrastructure, obsolete technologies, fragmented and old databases, scarcely accessible investments, low-quality operations regarding safety and performance, and restricted connectivity and interoperability. Based on the socio-economic context in the region and review of recent railway projects, a series of strategies are proposed to meet future regional visions. These strategies are envisaged to contribute to the development of an efficient and interoperable railway transportation system in the Economic Community of the West African States which in turn will improve the interconnectivity and enhance the economic growth and trade in West Africa.
Keywords:
Railway transport system; Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS); Sustainable railway; Regional goal; Strategy.
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