It has been suggested that History of rail transport in Madagascar be merged into this article. (Discuss) Proposed since November 2024.

Rail transport in Madagascar is primarily operated by Madarail. There are two unconnected systems having a total length of 855 km (531 mi), as of 2023, all metre gauge, 1,000 mm (39+3⁄8 in). The northern railway is concessioned to Madarail. Since April 2022 Madarail has been 100% owned by the Madagascan state. The southern line, Fianarantsoa-Côte-Est railway is a parastatal (state owned) line.

The historical length of lines in the country was 899 km (559 mi) together with a number of military and industrial lines of at least 108 km (67 mi).

Construction started in 1901 on the Madagascar Railway (Le Chemin-de-Fer de Madagascar) at Anivorano on the line from Tananarive to Toamasina / Tamatave. The northern network was essentially complete by 1923 and the southern line by 1936.

There is a regular (at least daily) goods traffic between the port city of Toamasina and the capital city of Antananarivo. There are daily passenger trains^[1] on the Madarail system. Very occasionally, there are special chartered trips on restored Micheline railcars for tourists. The southern line has a regular daily passenger train, which provides a slow but picturesque alternative to the recently rehabilitated road in the region.

The line between Antananarivo and Antsirabe re-opened on 2 December 2023.^[2]

A passenger service between Soarano (Antananarivo main station) and Amaronakona (18°55'49.9"S 47°34'44.8"E, on the TCE line) was due to commence in August 2023. Eight stations were planned. Similarly diesel powered trains will initially operate instead of the planned electric trains.^[3]

Initial operation was subsequently delayed until 'early 2024' in an announcement on 7 December 2023^[4]

• Continuous Brakes: Air/Vacuum/Unbraked ?
• Couplers: Centre buffer and two side hooks and chains.^[5]

• Antananarivo - national capital
• Toamasina - chief seaport

• Economy of Madagascar
• History of rail transport in Madagascar
• Madarail
• Transport in Madagascar

• Robinson, Neil (2009). World Rail Atlas and Historical Summary. Volume 7: North, East and Central Africa. Barnsley, UK: World Rail Atlas Ltd. ISBN 978-954-92184-3-5.
• Kolozsvari, Douglas A. (2013). Civil Society Organizations and the Protection of Sub-Saharan Africa's Colonial Railways: The Case of Madagascar's Fianarantsoa-Côte Est Railway (PhD thesis). University of Michigan. hdl:2027.42/99911.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Rail transport in Madagascar.

• UN map Archived 2016-08-04 at the Wayback Machine
• http://www.madarail.mg/