Editing Transport in Gabon

{{Short description| Transportation of Gabon}} <!-- "none" is preferred when the title is sufficiently descriptive; see [[WP:SDNONE]] -->
{{Update|date=May 2017}}
Modes of [[transport]] in [[Gabon]] include [[rail transport|rail]], [[road transport|road]], [[water transport|water]] and [[air transport|air]]. The one rail link, the [[Trans-Gabon Railway]], connects the port of [[Owendo]] with the inland town of [[Franceville]]. While most of the country is connected by roads, not all areas are accessible. Much of the road network remains unpaved, and it primarily revolves around seven "national routes" labeled N1 through N7. The largest [[seaport]]s are [[Port-Gentil]] and the newer Owendo, and 1,600&nbsp;km of inland waterways are [[Navigability|navigable]]. There are [[List of airports in Gabon|three international airport]]s, eight other paved airports, and over 40 with unpaved runways. Nearly 300&nbsp;km of [[pipeline transport|pipeline]]s carry [[petroleum]] products, mainly crude oil.

== Rail transport ==
[[File:Railways in Gabon.svg|thumb]]
Until the 1970s, Gabon had no permanent railroads, though temporary Decauville rail tracks were in use in the logging industry as early as 1913 (Gray and Ngolet, 1999, pp.102).<ref>{{Cite journal|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/183396|jstor = 183396|title = Lambaréné, Okoumé and the Transformation of Labor along the Middle Ogooué (Gabon), 1870-1945|last1 = Gray|first1 = Christopher|last2 = Ngolet|first2 = François|journal = The Journal of African History|year = 1999|volume = 40|issue = 1|pages = 87–107|doi = 10.1017/S0021853798007361}}</ref><ref>Olivier Hymas: [https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/1473718/1/Olivier%20Hymas%20%20Thesis%20corrections%2008-12-15.pdf L’Okoumé, fils du manioc : Post‐logging in remote rural forest areas of Gabon and its long‐term impacts on development and the environment.] 2015.</ref><ref>Cermak, F.I. and Lloyd, A.H. (1962); [http://www.fao.org/docrep/c3200e/c3200e0a.htm ''Supplement ‐ Timber transportation in the tropics.''] Unasylva ([Online) 16. Accessed on 8 December 2024.</ref> 

In 2003, the railway began the process of installing a satellite based telecommunications system.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.cellular.co.za/news_2003/100503-gabon_telecom_selects_hughes_net.htm |title=Railway telecom system 2003 |access-date=2006-07-17 |archive-date=2016-04-24 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160424225326/http://www.cellular.co.za/news_2003/100503-gabon_telecom_selects_hughes_net.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref> As of 2004, Gabon State Railways totalled 814&nbsp;km of standard-gauge track.

''total:'' 814&nbsp;km ([[Trans-Gabon Railway|Gabon State Railways]] or OCTRA)<br />''standard gauge:'' 814&nbsp;km 1.435-m gauge; single track (1994)

=== Maps ===
* [https://www.un.org/Depts/Cartographic/map/profile/gabon.pdf UN Map - shows line to Franceville]
* [http://www.unhcr.org/cgi-bin/texis/vtx/publ/opendoc.pdf?tbl=PUBL&id=441688290 UNHCR map - does not show line to Franceville]
* [http://www.travelportal.info/go_frames.php?unid=10174&linkid=9179&newlanguage=english TravelPortal map - shows major rivers]
* [http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/fullMaps_Af.nsf/luFullMap/BC0EF176D6BCADE385256C0800474100/$File/wfp_safr_rails0702.pdf?OpenElement UNJLC Rail map of Southern Africa - does not show line to Franceville]

=== Cities served by rail ===
{{Main|Railway stations in Gabon}}

; Existing
* [[Libreville]] - capital
* [[Owendo]] - port
* [[Sahoué]] - port
* [[Franceville]] - [[railhead]]
* [[Ndjolé]]
* [[Lopé]]
* [[Booué]] - likely junction for branchline to [[Makokou]]
* [[Lastoursville]]
* [[Moanda, Gabon|Moanda]]
* [[Ntoum]] - proposed junction for iron ore traffic to [[Santa Clara, Gabon|Santa Clara]]
* [[Kango]]
* [[Four-Place]]
* [[Mounana]] - ?

;Proposed
* [[Makokou]] - iron ore
* [[Santa Clara, Gabon|Cape Santa Clara]] - proposed [[list of deep water ports|deep water port]] for [[Makokou]] iron ore.
* [[Bélinga]] - possible iron ore mine.

=== 2006 ===
* China signs a deal for an iron ore mine with associated rail and port upgrades from [[Belinga]] to [[Santa Clara, Gabon|Santa Clara]] [http://chinaconfidential.blogspot.com/2006/06/high-iron-ore-prices-push-china-to_12.html]
[http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G1-162298942.html]

=== 2007 ===
* New rail line from Belinga will go 450&nbsp;km all the way to the coast, rather than to be a branch off an existing line.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.busrep.co.za/index.php?fArticleId=3276107 |title=Business Report - China given monopoly to work Gabon's untapped iron ore resources<!-- Bot generated title --> |access-date=2008-01-01 |archive-date=2007-12-02 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071202174825/http://www.busrep.co.za/index.php?fArticleId=3276107 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
* Pan-African issues<ref>[http://www.tripolipost.com/articledetail.asp?c=1&i=1301 Railway Corridors in Africa to be Connected<!-- Bot generated title -->] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110717104251/http://www.tripolipost.com/articledetail.asp?c=1&i=1301 |date=2011-07-17 }}</ref>

== Road transport ==
''total:''
7,670&nbsp;km
<br />''paved:''
629&nbsp;km (including 30&nbsp;km of expressways)
<br />''unpaved:''
7,041&nbsp;km (1996 est.)

Roads in Gabon link most areas of the country, and many of the main roads are of a reasonable standard.  However, remoter areas along the coast and in the east are often not connected to the road network.  Major roads are denoted national routes and numbered, with a prefix "N" (sometimes "RN"):

*N1 road: [[Libreville]] – [[Kougouleu]] – [[Bifoun]] – [[Lambaréné]] – [[Mouila]] – [[Ndendé]] – [[Tchibanga]] - ([[Republic of Congo]])
*N2 road: [[Bifoun]] – [[Alembe]] – [[Viate]] – [[Mitzic]] – [[Bibasse]] – [[Oyem]] – [[Bitam]] – [[Éboro]] – ([[Cameroon]])
*N3 road: [[Alembe]] – [[Kazamabika]] – [[Lastoursville]] – [[Moanda, Gabon|Moanda]] – [[Franceville]]
*N4 road: [[Viate]] – [[Ekonlong]] – [[Makokou]] – [[Mékambo]]
*N5 road: [[Kougouleu]] – [[Bibasse]]
*N6 road: [[Mayumba, Gabon|Mayumba]] – [[Tchibanga]] – [[Ndendé]] – [[Lébamba]] - [[Koulamoutou]] – [[Lastoursville]]
*N7 road: [[Makokou]] – [[Bakwaka]] – [[Okondja]] – [[Lékori]] - [[Akiéni]] – [[Ngouoni]] – [[Franceville]]

==Water transport==
=== Merchant marine ===
As of 2002, there was one merchant marine vessel, with a gross tonnage of 2,419/{{DWT|3,205|metric|disp=long}}.

===Waterways===
Gabon has 1,600&nbsp;km of perennially navigable waterways, including 310&nbsp;km on the [[Ogooué River]].

==Air transport==
There are three international airports: [[Libreville International Airport|Libreville]], [[Port-Gentil International Airport|Port-Gentil]], and [[M'Vengue El Hadj Omar Bongo Ondimba International Airport|Franceville]]. 

=== Airports - with paved runways ===
''total:''
11
<br />''over 3,047 m:''
1
<br />''2,438 to 3,047 m:''
1
<br />''1,524 to 2,437 m:''
8
<br />''914 to 1,523 m:''
1 (1999 est.)

=== Airports - with unpaved runways ===
''total:''
45
<br />''1,524 to 2,437 m:''
9
<br />''914 to 1,523 m:''
16
<br />''under 914 m:''
25 (1999 est.)

== Pipelines ==
Crude oil 270&nbsp;km; petroleum products 14&nbsp;km

== See also ==
* [[COMILOG Cableway]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

{{CIA World Factbook}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Transport in Gabon}}
{{Economy of Gabon}}
{{Africa in topic|Transport in}}
{{Gabon topics}}

[[Category:Transport in Gabon| ]]