Camrail charges passengers FCFA 150K for special express train stop
By Eratus Ndueh
The Cameroon railway network, Camrail, will impose passengers a deposit of FCFA 150 thousand for special express train stop, which will go down as from February 1, 2024, CNA learned.
The company justified this initiative by arguing that it will limit fancy stops, which, with the increase in rail traffic in Cameroon, have led to significant delays in Express Train schedules. The densification of traffic has accentuated the negative impacts of these unplanned stops, affecting the punctuality of the service, the company said.
According to the general director of Camrail, Pascal Miny, the decision follows a recommendation from the Passenger Transport Committee. Special stops at stations other than the five intermediate Train Express stations like Edéa, Messondo, Eseka, Makak, and Ngoumou will be subject to a payment of a non-refundable deposit.
Also, the measure mainly concerns the special stops of Camrail passenger trains 185 and 186 on the Yaounde-Douala section. Passengers wishing to stop at sites not approved by the Ministry of Transport will have to pay the deposit of FCFA 150 thousand at the Camrail counters to benefit from a 2 minute break from the train, which will henceforth be considered a special stop.
Before this measure, travelers requested stopping authorization from the Minister of Transport for sites not equipped with stations. But in the process of validation, the minister transmitted the agreement to the general director of Camrail for implementation which resulted this decision.
On October 21, 2016, Camrail inter-city passenger train travelling from Yaounde to Douala, derailed in Eséka, Centre Region. By October 30, 2016, the official number of casualties had reached 79 dead, with 550 injured. It was the deadliest rail accident on the African continent since the August 2007 Benaleka train accident.
