Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1943-02-10
Frances Projected
Trans-Saharan Line
Only 0ne'-Sixth Done
Construction Officials
Deny Germans Ever
Worked on Railroad
BY JOSEPH MORTON,


Associated Press War Correspondent.
DAKAR, French West Africa de-
layed). Frances projected trans
Saharan railroad, represented re-
currently in the past two years
as nearing completion by leaps and
bounds under German impetus, &C.
tually has no more than fair start.
Construction records in Dakar
disclose that little more than one
sixth of its most important leg is
finished. Approximately 1900 miles
Of desert and mountains stand be-
tween the railhead at the north
Of the Niger River; another 750
miles still must be built westward
across the Sudan from the little
known oasis, In-Tassit, to connect
with the existing railroad to Dakar.
Construction officials declare fatty
that not single German engineer
or workman has done days labor
on the project; the. 2,000-odd work
-erst have been -Auahs supaIuszd.-t
French foremeii. They assert, too,
that all materials have come from
France-none from Germany-and
that the rails actually are second
hand-salvaged from abandoned
French lines.
Small Part in Operation.
Even If construction had pro-
crossed at the rate originally
planned, the longest and most i'm
portant section would not have been
completed before 1945.
Formally named the Mediterra-
nean-Niger Railroad when its con-
struction began after the 1910 armi-
stice, it is in operation today only
between Oujda, in Northern Mo-
rocco, and point 20 miles south OF
Kenadsa, city just below the Algeria
Morocco frontier. The track from
Oujda, important switching point on
the excellent east-west coastal rail-
road, to the railhead is diameter
gauge. Continuing southwark, the
roadbed has been prepared for an
other IS to 100 miles-as far as
Benz Abbes. From that point on,
the trans-Saharan railroad exists
only on paper.
The route follows closely the au-
tomobile route now in use and shown
on most maps. 1t runs through
Adrar, Reggane and Bidon, all in
Algeria, and through Tessalit, in the
Sudan, before reaching In-Tassit,
so miles north of the Niger. At
this point, site OF an excellent we'll,
the railroad splits. One segment
bends southeastward toward Nancy,
capital of the French Niger colony,
and the other turns westward, fol-
lowing the Niger past Timbuktu,
crossing the river on a newly COM
pleted bridge at Markala and con-
Meeting with the present Senegal
Sudan Railroad at Koulikoro.
Begun After Fall Of France.
Begun after study by a mission
following the fall of France, the
-Saharan project got under
way with bang. Wide gauge tracks
had been laid by autumn, l94l. as
far as Kenadsa, site of big coal
workings. Then the attention of
some OF the engineers was diverted
to expanding mining operations
with resulting fivefold production
lncrease-and work on the railroad
went on at much slower pace.
Aside from the comparatively
small amount OF trackage laid. the
only other material accomplishments
have been drilling Of numerous wells
along the route and construction OF
the bridge and dam across the
Niger at Markala, ITS miles down
stream from Bamako, capital of the
Sudan. Iron fittings for the dam
only recently arrived in West Africa
Whether or not the much -bally-
hooed railroad ever will be com
pleted remains moot question with
many Frenchmen. Some speak OF
it hopefully as an important section
OF Medlterranean-to-CapetoWr
line that some day most certainl,
will be built. Others, pointing on,
that the project was begun at 2
| time when France had only he,
| empire left and wanted to bind i,
together more firmly. view its
chances Of completion in a some
what different light.
/ Now that we are back in the wal
and opposing the Germans in North
Africa" they say, I'VE are fighting
to liberate France. The question oil
building an empire once again be
comes secondary"
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