On December 19, 2022, Société des Transports Abidjanais sur Rail (STAR), a group of companies made up of Bouygues Travaux Publics (leader), Colas Rail, Alstom and Keolis, signed a new amendment to the design, construction, operation and maintenance contract for the Abidjan metro line 1, with the government of Côte d’Ivoire, represented by Messrs. Amadou Koné, Minister of Transport, Adama Coulibaly, Minister of Economy and Finance and Moussa Sanogo, Minister of Budget and Portfolio of State, in the presence of Messrs. Patrick Achi, Prime Minister of Côte d’Ivoire and Bruno Le Maire, Minister of Economy, Finance and Industrial and Digital Sovereignty of France.
This signature marks a new stage in the project, with the entry into force of the contract and the closing of the financing. This ambitious mobility project is intended to support the economic and demographic development of the Ivorian capital. Capable of transporting more than 500,000 passengers a day, this open-air metro, the most ambitious mass transit project in sub-Saharan Africa, will make travel more fluid and relieve congestion in Abidjan.
Its route, 37 kilometers long, will follow a natural communication corridor, from the north (Anyama Center Station) to the south (Airport Station) of the Ivorian capital. Among the major elements of the project is the construction of 18 stations, 24 bridges, 1 viaduct over the lagoon, 34 footbridges and 8 underpasses.
This signature kicks off a 66-month construction period, after which the metro will be put into commercial service. The Ivorian authorities have chosen a group of leading French companies.
The construction of the infrastructure will be carried out by Bouygues Travaux Publics. Colas Rail will be in charge of the railway track, electrification (catenary and substations), ticketing and part of the weak currents and will participate in system integration.
Alstom will ensure the development of rolling stock (20 trains of 5 cars), equipped with a latest generation CBTC (Communication-Based Train Control) system, as well as system integration. Finally, the operation and maintenance of the metro network are entrusted to the Keolis group.
The amount of the contract is 1.77 billion euros.
