- The Ivory Coast government is speeding up the construction of the first metro line in Abidjan.
- The railway infrastructure, financed by loans from several French banks, should relieve congestion in the Ivorian economic capital in two years.
By 2024, the Ivory Coast’s first metro line in Abidjan should be up and running. This assurance was provided by the government of this West African nation, which just inked new finance contracts with the French Treasury and the French banks Société Générale and BNP Paribas.
This train system, which will serve 540,000 people, is being built by the Société de transports abidjanais sur rail (Star), a joint venture between the French multinational Alstom and Colas Rail, a part of the French conglomerate Bouygues that specializes in railway engineering.
The 37-kilometre-long Abidjan metro is keeping with the Ivory Coast government policy that encourages ecological transportation. In this regard, a charging station was recently erected by the Ivorian start-up Auto24, which specializes in acquiring and selling used cars, in the town of Treichville, three hours drive from the country’s capital Yamoussoukro. The firm will release its first line of pre-owned electric vehicles for individuals and companies in January 2023 (Kia e-Soul, Kia e-Niro, and Hyundai Porter Electric made in Asia).