Four years of works
The Minister of Land and Air Transport, Serigne Abdoul Ahad Ndiaye, opened the second phase of the TER on Monday, after an inaugural run from AIBD to the capital. The new section adds 19 kilometres of electrified double track between Diamniadio and the airport, a station at AIBD and new signalling. The network now covers 55 kilometres. Seven dual-mode trains, electric and diesel, join the fleet, which rises to 22 trains.
“Yesterday we connected Dakar with its suburbs and its industrial zone; today we are connecting Dakar with its airport zone,” the minister summed up.
Launched in March 2022, the project was then costed at 207 billion CFA francs, with opening planned for the end of 2023. It suffered several delays, including an eleven-month slowdown caused by suspended payments. The bill now exceeds 300 billion CFA francs, co-financed by the State and its financial partners. Since it opened at the end of 2021, the TER has carried more than 100 million passengers, without a single accident according to the minister.
The useful figures
Diamniadio, gateway to congresses
For business tourism, the real change happens in Diamniadio. The urban hub brings together the Abdou Diouf International Conference Centre and its business hotels, the Courtyard and the Four Points, two minutes from the conference centre. A delegate landing at AIBD now reaches Diamniadio by rail, without depending on a road transfer.
The first major event to benefit will be MSGBC Oil, Gas & Power, expected at the CICAD from 1 to 3 December. Before it come the Youth Olympic Games, which Dakar hosts from 31 October to 13 November: the authorities present the line as the backbone for transporting delegations and foreign visitors.
The Plateau, one train from the airport
At the other end of the line, Dakar station puts the airport within reach of the hotels of the Plateau and the administrative centre. A visitor to the Biennale of Contemporary African Art, from 19 November to 19 December, staying in the city centre, only needs to plan the trip to the station to catch their flight.
What the train does not do
The line does not solve everything, and it is better to know this before building a programme. Les Almadies, Ngor and the Corniche remain away from the rail: participants at SENHABITAT, from 22 to 24 October at the King Fahd Palace, will still travel by road. Some international flights land at AIBD in the evening or at night: before recommending the train to participants, check the times of the first and last departures.
Then there is the question of groups. A delegation with its luggage and equipment travels more easily by coach than by scheduled train. The TER serves individual travellers and small groups first. For a delegation, it opens up a mixed option: the train for participants, a vehicle for luggage and equipment.
Key takeaway
For an event in Diamniadio or on the Plateau, the TER becomes a transfer option for participants travelling light. For Les Almadies, the Corniche and groups with luggage, road transfers remain the rule. In every case, check the time of the last train before announcing the connection to your participants.
After the airport, Thiès and Mbour
The government has announced a new station at Sébikotane, whose contractors have already been selected; a shuttle bus links it to Diamniadio in the meantime. An extension to Thiès, over some 25 kilometres, is under study, and Mbour is mentioned for a later phase. If that project goes ahead, the Petite Côte and its seminar hotels will in turn be linked to the airport by rail.
Figures announced by the Ministry of Land and Air Transport at the opening on 28 September 2026; fares noted on opening day. We will update them as the operator publishes its timetables.
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