Camrail

Camrail is the company responsible for operating Cameroon’s national railway under a concession granted in 1999. Its network links the country’s principal economic center and seaport, Douala, with the capital, Yaoundé, and extends northward to Ngaoundéré, as well as serving smaller destinations through passenger and freight operations. The business was established when Cameroon transferred railway operations to a non-state concessionaire, with the concession described as having an initial 20-year term. The railway infrastructure, including the track, remained owned by the government of Cameroon, while Camrail’s operating structure included rolling stock held by the company. The railway has also been associated with Comazar, a Bolloré subsidiary involved in railway operations, and Camrail is identified as part of the Bolloré investment group. Camrail’s business has two principal activities. Passenger services have historically included daily routes between Douala and Kumba, Douala and Yaoundé, and Yaoundé and Ngaoundéré. Freight is strategically important because the railway provides an inland transport corridor across Cameroon and supports the movement of bulk goods and other cargo. The network uses metre-gauge track and includes approximately 1,104 kilometres of railway identified in reference material. Its equipment includes locomotives and freight cars, while passenger multiple-unit trains use different coupling equipment from locomotive-hauled rolling stock. The company has been presented by the World Bank as a relatively productive African railway concession and as a regional example of transferring railway operations to a private or non-state operator. At the same time, Camrail has faced serious safety and infrastructure challenges. On 21 October 2016, a passenger train traveling from Yaoundé toward Douala derailed near Eséka. The train was unusually crowded because road traffic between the two cities had been disrupted. Seventy-nine people died and nearly 600 were injured. Government investigations and subsequent legal action examined the company’s role, with findings reported as involving excessive speed as well as the condition of Camrail’s fleet and rolling stock. Relatives of passengers who died sued the company. Following the derailment, the passenger express connection on the route was relaunched in 2021. Camrail and public authorities have also pursued railway modernization and capacity projects. Track and bridge upgrades have been discussed to support increased bauxite traffic from the Minim and Martap deposits, with an initial target of transporting approximately five million tonnes of ore annually. A possible rail connection to the deepwater port at Kribi has also been anticipated, requiring a new line of roughly 130 kilometres from Edéa. Separately, a future connection between Ngaoundéré and Chad’s capital has been discussed as a potential means of strengthening regional trade, although the cited material describes this as a prospective project rather than an operating Camrail service. Camrail therefore occupies a dual role in Cameroon: it is a consumer-facing passenger rail brand and a logistics infrastructure operator whose freight corridors are relevant to mining, trade, and national connectivity. Its position depends on the condition of state-owned infrastructure, the performance and safety of its rolling stock, and the continuation of concession and investment arrangements.

Camrail was created in 1999 as part of Cameroon’s move to operate its national railway through a concession rather than direct state management. The company received a concession to operate the Cameroon National Railway, reported in the cited material as having an initial 20-year duration. The state retained ownership of the track, while Camrail’s operating arrangement included ownership or control of rolling stock. The company was connected to Bolloré, the French investment group, and railway operations were also associated with Comazar, a Bolloré subsidiary. Camrail’s railway system serves Cameroon’s principal commercial and administrative centers. Passenger routes have included Douala–Kumba, Douala–Yaoundé, and Yaoundé–Ngaoundéré. Freight services use the same national railway corridor to move cargo over a network of approximately 1,104 kilometres of metre-gauge track. The system includes bridges, crossing loops, concrete sleepers, fibre-optic communications, and a locomotive-hauled freight fleet. A staged infrastructure program reportedly achieved a 25-tonne axle-load upgrade in 2019, while a number of bridges were renewed. The concession model attracted favorable attention from the World Bank. In a 2011 assessment, Camrail was described as comparatively productive among African railway operators and as a regional leader in implementing a concession to a non-state operator. This assessment reflected operational and productivity performance, but did not remove the underlying challenges of maintaining a long railway network in a difficult operating environment. The company’s most serious crisis occurred on 21 October 2016, when a passenger train derailed near Eséka while traveling from Yaoundé to Douala. Road traffic disruption had caused unusually high passenger demand, and the train was reported to be heavily overcrowded. Seventy-nine passengers died and almost 600 people were injured. Camrail came under government investigation, and relatives of those killed brought legal claims against the company. The reported investigation attributed the disaster to a combination of excessive speed and shortcomings in the fleet and rolling stock. The accident became a defining event for the company’s safety reputation and passenger operations. Passenger express service on the route was relaunched in 2021. At the same time, the railway’s future strategy has increasingly involved freight capacity and regional economic development. Upgrades to track and bridges have been considered to support bauxite shipments from the Minim and Martap mining areas, with an initial projected volume of about five million tonnes annually. A proposed connection to the deepwater port at Kribi would require approximately 130 kilometres of new railway from Edéa. A possible extension from Ngaoundéré toward N’Djamena in Chad has also been discussed for a later period, potentially strengthening trade between Cameroon and Chad. These projects are prospective and should not be treated as completed Camrail routes. Camrail’s history is consequently shaped by the interaction of concession-based management, state-owned infrastructure, passenger mobility, mining logistics, and public safety. The company remains an important railway operator in Cameroon, but the durability of its position depends on investment in tracks, bridges, equipment, and safety systems as well as on the regulatory framework governing the national railway concession.

1. 2021Passenger express service relaunched

   The express passenger connection associated with the Yaoundé–Douala route was relaunched after the 2016 derailment.

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2. 2021Bauxite freight expansion planning

   Track and bridge improvements were discussed to support anticipated bauxite traffic from the Minim and Martap deposits.

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3. 201925-tonne axle-load upgrade reported completed

   A staged railway upgrade reached a 25-tonne axle-load standard, supporting the potential movement of heavier freight.

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4. 2016Eséka train derailment

   A passenger train derailment near Eséka killed 79 people and injured nearly 600, leading to government investigation and legal claims by relatives of those who died.

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5. 2011World Bank recognizes concession performance

   A World Bank report described Camrail as comparatively productive among African railway operators and as a regional example of a concession to a non-state operator.

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6. 1999Camrail established as railway concession operator

   Camrail was formed and granted a concession to operate Cameroon’s national railway. The government retained ownership of the track, while the operating arrangement included company-owned rolling stock.

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A national railway operator and multimodal logistics partner focused on passenger connectivity and freight movement across Cameroon.

• Passenger rail servicesPassenger transportation1999

  Camrail operates passenger trains connecting major Cameroonian cities and smaller destinations. The routes identified in reference material include Douala–Kumba, Douala–Yaoundé, and Yaoundé–Ngaoundéré. The passenger business provides an alternative to road travel across a country where disruptions on major roads can sharply increase demand for rail capacity.

• Freight rail servicesFreight transportation1999

  Camrail provides freight transportation over Cameroon’s national railway. The service supports movement along the Douala–Yaoundé–Ngaoundéré corridor and is positioned to handle greater bulk traffic as railway infrastructure is upgraded. Planned mining-related activity includes prospective bauxite shipments from the Minim and Martap deposits.

• Railway operating concessionRailway operations1999

  The concession is the core operating product of the Camrail business. It covers management of passenger and freight traffic on Cameroon’s national railway while the state remains the infrastructure owner. Camrail’s role includes operating rolling stock and coordinating services across the metre-gauge network.

• 2021Relaunch of passenger express serviceProduct launch

  Passenger express operations on the route associated with the 2016 Eséka derailment had been disrupted following the disaster and its investigation.

  What changed. Camrail relaunched the express passenger connection in 2021.

  Aftermath. The relaunch restored an express passenger offering, although the cited material does not provide ridership, financial, or safety-performance results.

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• 2021Prepare the network for expanded mineral freightStrategy

  Prospective bauxite production from the Minim and Martap deposits was expected to create demand for heavier and higher-volume rail freight.

  What changed. Track and bridge upgrades were planned or undertaken to support an initial prospective movement of approximately five million tonnes of ore annually.

  Aftermath. The cited material also identifies a possible future rail link to the Kribi deepwater port and a potential extension toward Chad, but does not establish that either project has been completed.

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• 2016Eséka train disaster and safety investigationControversy

  On 21 October 2016, a Camrail passenger train derailed near Eséka while traveling from Yaoundé to Douala. The crash killed 79 people and injured nearly 600. The reported investigation examined excessive speed, the condition of the fleet, and the state of rolling stock. The government investigated Camrail, and relatives of deceased passengers sued the company.

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• 2021Camrail passenger express connection relaunched

  The express passenger connection associated with the Yaoundé–Douala corridor was relaunched after the 2016 Eséka derailment and the subsequent period of investigation and service disruption.

  Product launchOther
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• 2021Railway upgrades planned for bauxite freight

  Track and bridge improvements were identified as necessary to accommodate expanded bauxite traffic from the Minim and Martap deposits, with an initial prospective freight volume of approximately five million tonnes per year.

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1. Camrail