Transport in Benin
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This article concerns modes of transport in Benin. Benin is a country in Africa, which possesses railway and road infrastructure, as well as two seaports. Benin currently does not have rail connections to other countries, but new proposals seek to change this.
Contents |
[edit] Railways
Benin has a total of 578km of single track, narrow gauge railway (of gauge 1000mm). Benin does not, at this time, share railway links with adjacent countries - Niger possesses no railways to connect to, and while the other surrounding countries, Nigeria, Togo and Burkina Faso, do have railway networks, no connections have been built. In 2006, an Indian proposal appeared, which aims to link the railways of Benin with Niger and Burkina Faso [1]. Benin will be a particpant in the AfricaRail project.
[edit] Cities served by rail
Cities of Benin currently served by the country's railways are:
- Cotonou - port
- Porto Novo - national capital
- Parakou - railhead
- Bohicon
- Pobé - branch railhead
- Ouidah
- Segboroué - branch railhead in west.
- Dassa-Zoume
It is also proposed that Gaya, in Niger will be connected to the railway network of Benin.
Benin is a country that is bordered by Togo, Nigeria, and Niger.
To learn more about Benin please go to www.traveltobeninourcountry.com .
[edit] Highways
Benin possesses a total of 6,787km of highway, of which 1,357km are paved. Of the paved highways in the country, there are 10 expressways. This leaves 5,430km of unpaved road.
The Trans-West African Coastal Highway crosses Benin, connecting it to Nigeria to the east, and Togo, Ghana and Côte d'Ivoire to the west. When construction in Liberia and Sierra Leone is finished, the highway will continue west to 7 other ECOWAS nations. A paved highway also connects Benin northwards to Niger, and through that country to Burkina Faso and Mali to the north-west.
[edit] Water
Benin's waterways are navigable along small sections, but are only locally important. There are two ports in Benin, Cotonou, a railhead, and Porto-Novo. The country does not have a merchant marine.
[edit] Airports
There are five airports in Benin, of which two have paved runways. Of those with paved runways, one has runways of length greater than 2,438m. Out of the three without, one has runways of over 1,524m, leaving two with runways between lengths 914m and 1,523m.
[edit] References
Much of the material in this article is adapted from the CIA World Factbook 2000.
