The Lomé–Blitta railway was the third railway line built in today's

Togo Togo, officially the Togolese Republic, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Ghana to Ghana–Togo border, the west, Benin to Benin–Togo border, the east and Burkina Faso to Burkina Faso–Togo border, the north. It is one of the le ...

. It was also called ' (

hinterland Hinterland is a German word meaning the 'land behind' a city, a port, or similar. Its use in English was first documented by the geographer George Chisholm in his ''Handbook of Commercial Geography'' (1888). Originally the term was associated wi ...

railway) or ' (cotton railway).

History

The railway line was built from 1908 during the German

colonial era Colonial period (a period in a country's history where it was subject to management by a colonial power) may refer to: Continents *European colonization of the Americas * Colonisation of Africa * Western imperialism in Asia Countries * Col ...

, in order to develop

cotton Cotton (), first recorded in ancient India, is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective case, around the seeds of the cotton plants of the genus '' Gossypium'' in the mallow family Malvaceae. The fiber is almost pure ...

growing areas. Several rivers had to be crossed, which led to a series of up and down gradients in the route and bridge constructions. The 163 km long section to Agbonou was completed in April 1911. The remaining section to Atakpame opened on 2 May 1913. As a terminus, the line used the station at

Lomé Lomé ( , ) is the Capital (political), capital and List of cities in Togo, largest city of Togo. It has an urban population of 837,437

, which was initially built for the

Lomé–Aného railway The Lomé–Aného railway was the first Rail transport, railway in the German colonial empire, German protectorate of Togoland. Over a length of 44 kilometers, it connected the administrative center of Lomé with the coastal town of Aného. Coll ...

. The line branches off from the

Lomé–Kpalimé railway The Lomé–Kpalimé railway was the second railway line built in today's Togo. It was also called ' or ' (cocoa railway). History The railway line was built during the German colonial era. Planning started in 1902, and construction began in 1 ...

at km 2.7. Construction and operation was assigned to the ' (German colonial railway construction and operation company; DKEBBG), which operated the railway in Togo under the

legal name A legal name is the name that identifies a person for legal, administrative and other official purposes. A person's legal birth name generally is the name of the person that was given for the purpose of registration of the birth and which then ...

of ' (Togo railway; TE). It had to pay a rent of 523,000 marks annually to the colonial tax administration. The Kamina Funkstation, 12 km south-east of the city, had its own 600 mm gauge field railway connection to the station at Agbonou. It was intended to lengthen the railway, if possible to Banjeli, in order to develop the

hematite Hematite (), also spelled as haematite, is a common iron oxide compound with the formula, Fe2O3 and is widely found in rocks and soils. Hematite crystals belong to the rhombohedral lattice system which is designated the alpha polymorph of . ...

ore deposits there, but that did not happen because of the start of the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. During the period of military occupation until 1922, the railway was operated under the Togoland Military Railway (TMR) name, with operations handled by Gold Coast Government Railways, the railway of the neighboring Gold Coast. Togo was split between the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

and

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

after the First World War, with the whole railway network located in the part of the country now administered by France under a

League of Nations The League of Nations (LN or LoN; , SdN) was the first worldwide intergovernmental organisation whose principal mission was to maintain world peace. It was founded on 10 January 1920 by the Paris Peace Conference (1919–1920), Paris Peace ...

mandate Mandate most often refers to: * League of Nations mandates, quasi-colonial territories established under Article 22 of the Covenant of the League of Nations, 28 June 1919 * Mandate (politics), the power granted by an electorate Mandate may also r ...

. Only then, in 1922, the railway received its

French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...

name ' (CFT). The French colonial power continued to expand the railway line beginning in the 1930s. From Agbonou on the Lomé–Atakpame railway, a 113 km long line to Blitta was opened in 1934. Further construction to

Sokodé Sokodé is the List of cities in Togo, second largest city in Togo, with a population of about 189,000. It is a commercial center for the surrounding agricultural areas, and seat of the Tchaoudjo, Tchaoudjo Prefecture and Centrale Region, Togo, Ce ...

had been started, but was stopped due to a lack of funds.Helmut Schroeter: ''Die Eisenbahnen der ehemaligen deutschen Schutzgebiete Afrikas und ihre Fahrzeuge'' (= ''Die Fahrzeuge der deutschen Eisenbahnen.'' H. 7, ). Verkehrswissenschaftliche Lehrmittelgesellschaft, Frankfurt am Main 1961, p. 52. A connection to railway lines in

French West Africa French West Africa (, ) was a federation of eight French colonial empires#Second French colonial empire, French colonial territories in West Africa: Colonial Mauritania, Mauritania, French Senegal, Senegal, French Sudan (now Mali), French Guin ...

, considered in the 1950s, was also not realized. The line continued to operate as the main line of the railway network in Togo, even after Togo gained independence. The section from Agbonou to Atakpame has since been closed. A 58 km long branch line was opened in 1979, linking Togblekovhe and

Tabligbo Tabligbo is a city and canton in Togo with 22,304 inhabitants (2010). It is the seat of Yoto prefecture in Maritime Region Maritime Region () is the southernmost of Togo Togo, officially the Togolese Republic, is a country in West Afric ...

. The branch line, closed from 1984 until 1990, handles clinker transport. After the withdrawal of passenger services between Lomé and Blitta in mid-1998, and their reinstatement in November 1998, a

mixed train A mixed train or mixed consist is a train that contains both passenger and freight cars or wagons. In some countries, the term refers to a freight train carrying various different types of freight rather a single commodity. Although common in the ...

runs to Blitta on Saturdays, with the return service running on Sundays.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lome-Blitta railway Metre-gauge railways in Togo Maritime Region, Togo Plateaux Region, Togo Centrale Region, Togo

History

See also

References