Transport in Senegal

This article describes the system of transport in Senegal, both public and private. This system comprises roads (both paved and unpaved), rail transport, water transport, and air transportation.

Various buses in Dakar

Roads

Further information (in French): List of roads in Senegal^{(redirect) [fr]}

Route de Corniche, Dakar, 2016

A horse-drawn cart carrying water near Thiès

The system of roads in Senegal is extensive by West African standards, with paved roads reaching each corner of the country and all major towns.

International highways

Dakar is the endpoint of three routes in the Trans-African Highway network. These are as follows:

• Cairo-Dakar Highway which crosses the edge of the Sahara
• Dakar-Ndjamena Highway which links the countries of the Sahel, also called the Trans-Sahelian Highway
• Dakar-Lagos Highway running along the West African coast and called by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) the Trans–West African Coastal Highway (though ECOWAS considers this route to start in Nouakchott, Mauritania).

Senegal's road network links closely with those of the Gambia, since the shortest route between south-western districts on the one hand and west-central and north-western districts on the other is through the Gambia.

Motorways

The country currently has two autoroutes: Autoroute A1 [fr] and Autoroute A2 [fr].^[1][2][3] A third autoroute, Autoroute A3, is currently being planned.^[3]

Autoroute A1 runs from Dakar to M'Bour via Blaise Diagne International Airport.^[3] The A1 was built via a public-private partnership between French civil engineering firm Eiffage (which has a majority ownership in its toll road portion), and the Senegalese government.^[1]

Autoroute A2 runs from Dakar to Touba, via Thiès.^[3]

The planned Autoroute A3 will run from Dakar to Saint-Louis, and will span about 200 kilometres (120 mi) in length.^[3]

National roads

The most important roads in Senegal are prefixed "N" and numbered from 1 to 7:

• N1: Dakar – Mbour - Fatick - Kaolack – Tambacounda – Kidira – (Mali)
• N2: Pout – Thiès – Louga - St-Louis – Richard Toll – Ouro Sogui – Kidira - (Mali)
• N3: Thiès – Diourbel – Touba – Linguère – Ouro Sogui
• N4: Kaolack – (Trans-Gambia Highway) – Bignona – Ziguinchor – (Guinea-Bissau)
• N5: Bignona – Diouloulou – (Gambia) - Sokone - Kaolack
• N6: Tambacounda – Vélingara - Kolda – Ziguinchor – (Guinea-Bissau)
• N7: Ouro Sogui - Tambacounda – Niokolo-Koba – Kédougou – Guinea

Regional roads

• R20, R21 [fr], R22
• R30, R31, R32 [fr]
• R60, R61
• R70

Major incidents

• Kaffrine bus crash (2023)

Railways

Main article: Rail transport in Senegal

Further information: Railway stations in Senegal

A pair of Train Express Regional Dakar-AIBD trains

According to the CIA World Factbook, Senegal had a total of 906 kilometres (563 mi) of railways as of 2017, of which 713 kilometres (443 mi) was operational, and all of which were 1,000 mm (3 ft 3+3⁄8 in) gauge.^[4] Since then, the first phase of the Train Express Regional Dakar-AIBD (TER Dakar) has begun operations in December 2021, adding 36 kilometres (22 mi) to Senegal's railway network.^[5] There are plans to add another 19 kilometres (12 mi) to the TER Dakar, to connect it to Blaise Diagne International Airport.^[5][6] Unlike the rest of Senegal's network, the TER Dakar uses standard gauge.

Other rail lines in Senegal include the partially-operational Dakar–Saint-Louis railway, which is used for freight, and the Dakar–Niger Railway. The Petit train de banlieue provided commuter rail service until 2016, and has since been replaced with the TER Dakar.

Maps

• UN Map

Ground transport

A Car Rapide in Senegal, a common mode of transportation.

There were an estimated 4,271 kilometres (2,654 mi) of paved roads and 10,305 kilometres (6,403 mi) of unpaved roads as of 1996.

Dakar has a bus rapid transit (BRT) network: Sunu BRT, which currently has two routes in operation, with two more planned.^[7]

Taxis (black-yellow or blue-yellow in color) are cheap, numerous and available everywhere in Dakar.^[8] It is customary to negotiate the fare since most meters installed in the taxis are broken or missing.^[8] For travel outside Dakar, public transportation is available but often unreliable and uncomfortable.^[8]

Waterways

897 kilometres (557 mi) total; 785 kilometres (488 mi) on the Senegal river, and 112 kilometres (70 mi) on the Saloum River.^{[citation needed]}

Ports and harbours

• Dakar - railhead
• Kaolack, Matam, Podor, Richard Toll, Saint-Louis, Ziguinchor

Dakar has one of the largest deep-water seaports along the West African coast.^[8] Its deep-draft structure and 640-foot-wide (200 m) access channel allows round-the-clock access to the port.^[8] Its current infrastructure includes tanker vessel loading and unloading terminals, a container terminal with a storage capacity of 3000 20-foot-equivalent units, a cereals and fishing port, a dedicated phosphate terminal and a privately run ship repair facility.^[8] The port's location at the extreme western point of Africa, at the crossroad of the major sea-lanes linking Europe to South America, makes it a natural port of call for shipping companies.^[8] Total freight traffic averages 10 million metric tons.^[8]

Airports

Air Senegal International is Senegal's flag carrier.

See also: List of airports in Senegal

Per the CIA World Factbook, Senegal has 20 airports as of 2025.^[4] Blaise Diagne International Airport in Diass became the hub of the sub-region.^[8][9] Dakar is linked to numerous African cities by air, and daily flights go to Europe.^[8] Delta Air Lines flies daily to/from Atlanta/Dakar/Johannesburg.^[8] South African Airways flies daily to New York and Washington, D.C. from Johannesburg via Dakar.^[8] The old Léopold Sédar Senghor International Airport in Dakar is now only exists as a cargo hub.

See also

• Senegal