Benin inaugurates railway station of sub-region railway

Benin's President Boni Yayi and Nigerien Prime Minister Brigi Rafini on Wednesday inaugurated the Cotonou Railway Station which is part of a sub-regional railway line project.

The railway will link five West African countries' capitals: Lome, Cotonou, Niamey, Ouagadougou and Abidjan.

Yayi hailed Benin and Niger for implementing the project whose main objective is to promote political, economic and social integration.

"Since the time the two countries decided to launch construction of a railway line linking their two capitals, we have witnessed a new era of cooperation between Benin and Niger," the president said.

Rafini said the Cotonou Railway Station is a new door for Nigerien traffic, both passengers and cargo.

"The Cotonou Railway Station will in future become an economic hub in Benin, creating a third growth center around transport infrastructures after the port and the airport," said Vincent Bollore whose company, Bollore Group, is the key partner in the railway line project linking Benin and Niger.

After the railway station, Bollore Group will now embark on renovation of the railway line between Cotonou and Prakaou near the Nigerien border, a distance of 438 km.

The renovation work is part of a major railway construction project to promote sub-regional economic integration. It includes linking existing railway lines from Cotonou to Lome on one part, and Cotonou, Niamey, Ouagadougou and Abidjan on the other. Endi