Senegal's TER train is a fast track to better air quality

DW (English)

Senegal's capital Dakar suffers from a massive traffic problem. The TER regional rail link offers commuters a cleaner, greener and much faster commuting alternative to driving.

Transcript

00:00The demand is enormous. Every day, about 80,000 people pass through the gates of the train

00:06express regional known as TEL, the pride of Senegal's railway system. Since 2021, the

00:12train has been running regularly between Dakar and Diam near Diouf, the new science and administrative

00:18hub 36 kilometres away. Pate Mbenga is a regular passenger, a government official used to spend

00:25over two hours a day stuck in traffic. Now his commute is just 40 minutes, and he's doing

00:31something good for the environment, which he values highly.

00:38I think the TEL will reduce pollution. I'm not saying it will eliminate it completely,

00:43but we are already seeing fewer cars on the road. Traffic is smoother now when you look

00:49at the highways and toll roads, because people are using the TEL and leaving their cars behind.

00:55I think it's making a real impact on the environment.

01:03The TEL is a flagship project designed to cut Senegal's CO2 emissions by around 30%

01:09by 2030. The country currently produces about 12 million tonnes of greenhouse gases each

01:15year, and nearly all of its transport-related emissions come from road traffic.

01:22We looked at the number of passengers using the TEL and calculated the CO2 emissions we

01:27are saving. So far, we've transported over 55 million passengers. If you assume these

01:34passengers took the TEL instead of a car or a bus, we've saved more than 150,000 tonnes

01:40of CO2. And passenger numbers are rising from 17,000 a day in its first year to almost five

01:49times that amount today. Depending on the class and destination, tickets cost between

01:5580 cents and around 4 euros.

02:02When I go to Dakar to run errands, I prefer taking the TEL because I need to be fast.

02:08I'm really happy going by train. Before, I used to take minibuses or buses where everyone's

02:16jostling. There's never any space. It's really difficult compared to the TEL.

02:26I commute from Kermassar to Dakar. If I want to get there quickly, I take the TEL to avoid

02:31traffic jams. It's quiet, comfortable, cooler, and there's less pollution.

02:39It's not just the air that's cleaner. The TEL is also committed to sustainable and efficient

02:44waste management at its 13 stations.

02:49We've set up a waste sorting system at all our sites, in the stations, maintenance areas,

02:57and on the trains. At the stations, we have waste collectors and special transparent bins

03:02so we can monitor what's inside. These bins are divided into two compartments, for recyclable

03:10waste and non-recyclable.

03:16But progress has also brought new challenges. In some areas along the tracks, trash is being

03:21dumped on railway property. To combat this, the railway operators are organising clean-up

03:27events and running campaigns to raise public awareness.

03:35These awareness campaigns also focus on safety, since we deal with a lot of trespassing on

03:40the tracks. And there is the issue of sanitation, because people are throwing their waste onto

03:46railway property. We are also tackling illegal dumping within our premises.

03:54Waste management and sustainable mass transit. The TEL has proven to be a major success.

04:00By mid-2025, the line will extend to the international airport. The TEL isn't just transporting

04:06passengers, it's bringing big ambitions into reality.

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