In Guinea, construction has begun on the 135 km Dapilon-Santou railway. Designed exclusively for the mining industry, it will connect the port of Dapilon with the Santou mine zone.
According to SMB-Winning Consortium, which will be developing the project, the group will spend ‘US$3 billion in the coming years to develop the 135 km railway line and an alumina refinery in the Boké special economic zone’.
The railway will feature 23 bridges, three tunnels and six depots.
SMB adds that construction of the line will generate thousands of employment opportunities and that, while it is primarily for the transport of mined goods, the railway also forms part of plans to develop an agricultural corridor.
‘The construction of this new rail line is testament to Guinea’s attractiveness for mining investors,’ says Abdoulaye Magassouba, Minister of Mines and Geology. ‘The reforms led by the government have allowed companies like the SMB-Winning Consortium to grow rapidly and put Guinea in the top three of world bauxite producers within a few years.’
It is expected that the railway will be operational by 2022.
