Editing Transport in Niger (section)

==Railway==
[[File:Railway track Niamey Niger.jpg|225px|thumbnail|right|Railway track in [[Niamey railway station|Niamey station]]]]
Niger is a user of the Benin and Togo railway lines, which carry goods from seaports to the Niger border.  Rail lines to [[Niamey]] and other points in Niger were proposed during the colonial period, and continue to be discussed. In 2012, a multi-national railway system was proposed to connect [[Benin]], [[Niger]], [[Burkina Faso]] and [[Ivory Coast]].<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.railwaysafrica.com/blog/2010/10/extending-from-benin-to-niger/| title = Article on railwaysafrica.com}}</ref>

Other lines connecting [[Nigeria]] to [[Niger]] have also been discussed. For example, on 13 August 2013 in [[Nigeria]], the [[Vice President of Nigeria]], [[Namadi Sambo]], announced that Nigeria is to construct a line into the Republic of Niger. The new track will be an extension of the existing branch from [[Zaria]] to [[Kaura-Namoda]], which is to be continued via [[Sokoto (city)|Sokoto]] to [[Birnin Kebbi]]. In the longer term it will extend the line across the border to [[Niamey]], capital of Niger. The existing branch is currently out of commission, but rehabilitation has commenced.

In April 2014, [[Niamey railway station|Niamey Railway Station]]<ref>{{in lang|fr}} [http://www.rfi.fr/afrique/20140407-niger-inauguration-premiere-gare-ferroviaire-niamey/ "Inauguration of the first train station in Niamey"] ([[Radio France Internationale]])</ref><ref>[http://globalvoicesonline.org/2014/04/09/a-80-year-long-wait-niger-gets-its-first-train-station/ "A 80 Year-long Wait: Niger Gets its First Train Station"] ([[Global Voices Online]])</ref> was officially inaugurated and construction began for the railway extension connecting [[Niamey]] to [[Cotonou]] via [[Parakou]] (Benin).<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.railpage.com.au/f-t11358153.htm| title = Article on railpage.com.au}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| url = http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/africa/2014-03/21/c_133204830.htm| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140408213320/http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/africa/2014-03/21/c_133204830.htm| url-status = dead| archive-date = 8 April 2014| title = Article on news.xinhuanet.com}}</ref> This railway line is expected to go through [[Dosso, Niger|Dosso]] city and [[Gaya, Niger|Gaya]] in the territory of Niger before crossing into [[Benin]]. The [[Niamey]]–[[Dosso, Niger|Dosso]] line was completed in 2016. It is 143&nbsp;km in length with a gauge of 1,000&nbsp;mm.