Editing Transport in Burkina Faso (section)

== Railways ==
{{main|Rail transport in Burkina Faso}}
[[File:Sitarail train.jpg|thumb|Sitarail train]]

There are 622 kilometres of [[railway]] in [[Burkina Faso]], of which 517&nbsp;km run from Ouagadougou to [[Abidjan]], [[Ivory Coast]]; and 105&nbsp;km from Ouagadougou to Kaya. As of June 2014 ''Sitarail'' operates a passenger train three times a week along the route from Ouagadougou to Abidjan via [[Banfora]], [[Bobo-Dioulasso]] and [[Koudougou]].<ref>European Rail Timetable, Summer 2014 Edition, (journey time is 43 to 48 hours)</ref>

All of the railways in the country are of {{RailGauge|1000mm|allk=on}}.  Only [[Transport in Ivory Coast|Ivory Coast]] is connected to Burkina Faso by rail.

Instability in Ivory Coast in 2003 forced a rerouting of rail freight from the Abidjan corridor to ports in Togo, Benin, and Ghana via the road network.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=African Development Bank Group (AfDB)|date=April 2014|title=West African Monitor Quarterly |url=https://www.afdb.org/fileadmin/uploads/afdb/Documents/Publications/Quarterly_West_Africa_Monitor_-_Issue_2.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/https://www.afdb.org/fileadmin/uploads/afdb/Documents/Publications/Quarterly_West_Africa_Monitor_-_Issue_2.pdf |archive-date=2022-10-09 |url-status=live |journal=African Development Bank Group West Africa Regional Department|volume=2|pages=24}}</ref> A proposed rail link between Ouagadougou and [[Pô]] in Burkina Faso and [[Kumasi]] and [[Boankra]] in Ghana, has been discussed with Ghanaian officials, and feasibility studies are being undertaken to explore this possibility, which would provide rail access to the inland port of Bonakra.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.ghanahighcommissionuk.com/contractors-asked-to-submit-bids-for-ghana-burkina-faso-rail/|title=Contractors asked to submit bids for Ghana-Burkina Faso rail – Ghana High Commission |website=www.ghanahighcommissionuk.com |access-date=2018-06-04}}</ref> Burkina Faso and Ghana use different rail gauges and this [[break-of-gauge]] can be overcome to a greater or lesser extent with a number of methods.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Ranganathan, Rupa|url=http://worldcat.org/oclc/931678779 |title=ECOWAS's Infrastructure A Regional Perspective|oclc=931678779}}</ref>

In 2006, an Indian proposal surfaced to link the railways in Benin and Togo with landlocked Niger and Burkina Faso.  Additionally, a Czech proposal also surfaced to link Ghana railways with Burkina Faso.<ref>{{Cite web |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040810010048/http://www.otal.com/ghana/transportnews.htm|url=http://www.otal.com/ghana/transportnews.htm|url-status=usurped|archive-date=2004-08-10|title=Ghana - Burkina Faso: New Rail Line Planned to Link Burkina Faso to the Coast|author=OT Africa Line|date=2004-06-14}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.fdi.net/documents/WorldBank/databases/ghana/Ghana_burkina_railway_Ghana.pdf |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20071108110530/http://www.fdi.net/documents/WorldBank/databases/ghana/Ghana_burkina_railway_Ghana.pdf|url-status=dead|title=World Bank Report|archivedate=November 8, 2007}}</ref>  The manganese deposits near [[Dori, Burkina Faso|Dori]] are one source of traffic.  Burkina Faso would also be a participant in the [[AfricaRail]] project.

In May, 2011 the [[World Bank]] reported that ''[[Sitarail]]'' had recovered well from the [[2010–11 Ivorian crisis|political crisis in Ivory Coast]] but was experiencing financial distress, needed to re-balance its financial structure and find alternative funding for rehabilitation backlog.<ref name="AICD"/>

=== Stations served ===
{{main|Railway stations in Burkina Faso}}

The following towns of Burkina Faso are served by the country's railways:
* [[Banfora]]
* [[Bobo-Dioulasso]]
* [[Koudougou]]
* [[Ouagadougou]] - national capital
* [[Kaya, Burkina Faso|Kaya]] - terminus

{{commons category}}