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The Trans-Saharan Railway was a project conducted by France to build a rail line south through Algeria to sub-Saharan Africa. Its original intended use was to connect coal mines and boost trade throughout North Africa, tie together the French Empire, and connect North Africa to sub-Saharan Africa by connecting the existing rail system of
The Trans-Saharan Railway was a project conducted by France to build a rail line south through Algeria to sub-Saharan Africa. Its original intended use was to connect coal mines and boost trade throughout North Africa, tie together the French Empire, and connect North Africa to sub-Saharan Africa by connecting the existing rail system of French Algeria
French Algeria (french: Alger to 1839, then afterwards; unofficially , ar, الجزائر المستعمرة), also known as Colonial Algeria, was the period of French colonisation of Algeria. French rule in the region began in 1830 with the ...
to those of French West Africa
French West Africa (french: Afrique-Occidentale française, ) was a federation of eight French colonial territories in West Africa: Mauritania, Senegal, French Sudan (now Mali), French Guinea (now Guinea), Ivory Coast, Upper Volta (now Burki ...
. The plan for the rail line was first proposed in 1879. An engineer, Monsieur A. Duponchel, was the creator of the large plan; in 1900, French paper '' Le Matin'' announced that it would proceed by private initiative following a long campaign in its favour by Pierre Paul Leroy-Beaulieu
Pierre Paul Leroy-Beaulieu (9 December 1843 in Saumur – 9 December 1916 in Paris) was a French economist, brother of Henri Jean Baptiste Anatole Leroy-Beaulieu, born at Saumur, Maine-et-Loire on 9 December 1843, and educated in Paris at ...
.
However, it wasn't until the Vichy France
Vichy France (french: Régime de Vichy; 10 July 1940 – 9 August 1944), officially the French State ('), was the fascist French state headed by Marshal Philippe Pétain during World War II. Officially independent, but with half of its ter ...
government that it was actively promoted. It was viewed as a way to increase the integrity of the French Empire and the spirit of the French nation as a whole.
The railway had numerous proposed benefits. It would provide a fast connection to Sudan and enable Sudan's resources to be within France's reach. Additionally, the railway was supposed to transform the region and make it a leading producer in cotton and agricultural goods. The cattle population and rice production would increase dramatically and benefit society.
World War II coincided with the construction of the railway which led to it being built by slave labor in 1941–1942. Forced labor camps were dispersed throughout the country and the trans-Saharan railroad project connected them. Jews and other prisoners were forced to work on the project. The workers "were poorly fed and housed, and lived in terrible sanitary conditions. Tortures and atrocities were inflicted by the guards for the slightest breach of the rules; the internees were not treated as human beings. Many died from beatings; even more died from outbreaks of typhus or just from exhaustion and hunger."
Ultimately, the trans-Saharan railway was never completed; only a small portion of the tracks was built. Construction stopped in 1944 due to lack of financial support, and in 1945 continuation was officially rejected.
See also
*Trans-Sahara Highway
The Trans-Sahara Highway or TAH 2 is a proposed transnational highway project to pave, improve and ease border formalities on an existing trade route running north–south across the Sahara Desert. It runs between North Africa bordered by the Medi ...
References
{{Africa-rail-transport-stub Rail infrastructure in Algeria