ABIDJAN, Côte d'Ivoire: December 04, 2017. SITARAIL, a Bolloré Transport & Logistics subsidiary, has begun upgrading the rail link between Abidjan and Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.

SITARAIL will spend a total of CFA260 billion (US$4.68 million) on the project, including CFA85 billion (US$1.53 million) in the first phase for track renovation by 2021, plus CFA70 billion (US$1.26 million) on rolling stock.

The work involves rail replacement, upgrades of safety systems and renovation of stations, bridges, and maintenance workshops.

Once complete, the line is expected to carry five million tons of freight and 800,000 passengers annually.

CEO of Bolloré Railways Eric Melet said the project fits his company's strategy of multimodal investment and transformation of the logistics chain all the way from the port terminal to the final destination.

"Thanks to the professional commitment of our 1,500 railway workers and our 250 partners and subcontractors both in Côte d'Ivoire and Burkina Faso, SITARAIL is demonstrating its social responsibility. It helps to modernize the strategic infrastructures on which the region's economic development depends," he declared.

The modernization program will include replacing 853 kilometers of railway tracks, renovating 31 railway stations, 51 protected level crossings and 50 other civil engineering works.

SITARAIL is a Bolloré Railways concession that has managed 1,260 kilometers of railroad between Côte d'Ivoire and Burkina Faso for the past 23 years.