Experience of cross- border operations between (Côte d'Ivoire) and ()

Simplice ESSOH SITARAIL Context and operational regulation framework NETWORK INFORMATION NETWORK OPERATION

Traffic data and employees 1904 : Abidjan – Ouagadougou line opening o 150 000 Passenger/year Operated by RAN (Régie Abidjan – Niger) o 900 000 tons/year 1 500 employees o 1989 : Transfer of activities to Société Ivoirienne des Chemins de Fer () and la Société des Chemins de Network data: Fer Burkinabé (Burkina Faso) for 6 years

o 1260 kms metric gauge 1995 : SITARAIL (Bolloré Group) under “affermage” regime. o 40 locomotives o 1 200 wagons o 59 stations o 50km/h freight train speed REGULATION FRAMEWORK o 60Km/h passenger train speed . Ivory Coast and Burkina Faso apply UEMOA regulation which allows the free movement of people and freight. However both Countries still maintain cross border police and customs control. . Two specific regulations for international railway traffic: . 1991 : Railway international transit regime (TIF) for freight traffic between the two Countries . 1997 : Legal agreement for train operations at border point.

2 SITARAIL Border crossing procedures

Border crossing station Freight transport Passenger transport Customs control Ouangolo (Ivory Coast) . Platform visual checking . Police control (ID verification, etc.) . Checking application of TIF regime . Ivory Coast health control (Vaccine,..) . Validation of TIF (paper document) . Customs control (Luggage,..) Niangoloko (Burkina Faso) Live stock veterinary control

. The two stations are 44 kms far from each other

. Freight transport : 02 customs controls for each train, which corresponds to 3 hours stop for each train, equivalent to 5% of transit time Abidjan-Ouaga

. Passenger transport : 02 Customs control and 02 Police control for each passenger train, which corresponds to 3 hours stop, equivalent to 10 % of transit time.

3 SITARAIL Perspectives

Actions to be taken Deadline Potential results

Creation of a railway customs unit to be under the . The customs procedures documentation will be unique supervision of Economic regime direction at centralized in a single site (Treichville railway station) for Treichville stations (resulting of the merging of two October 2020 Ivory Coast and Burkina Faso as well. separate divisions: Economic regime direction and Port special service direction) . Customs declaration process more fast and easy

. Better supervision of freight transit and customs duties for the States

. Border controls are more secure Digitalisation of Railway International Transit regime by connecting the customs systems of Ivory Coast and 2nd half of 2021 . Customs bureau at destination could anticipate the Burkina Faso. arrival of freight transport.

. Customs delays will be reduced and overall transit process improved

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