-  The Northern railway, managed by a private company, Madarail (Madagascar Railway), for the network connecting Antananarivo with Tamatave, Ambatondrazaka and Antsirabe.  

There is a regular (at least daily) goods traffic between the port city of Toamasina and the capital city of Antananarivo for cargo while passenger trains are only serving Tamatave to Moramanga and Moramanga to Ambatrodrazaka lines. 

Very occasionally, there are special chartered trips on restored Micheline railcars for tourists. 

-   The Southern railway, managed by a public company FCE (Fianarantsoa Cote Est) for the south eastern network connecting Fianarantsoa to Manakara. 

The southern line has regular passenger and cargo trains, which provides a slow but picturesque alternative to the recently rehabilitated road in the region. 

 

Please see more information here MADARAIL 

For more information on government contact details, please see the following link: 4.1 Government Contact List. 

Travel Time Matrix 

	Capital	Town   Moramanga	Town Brickaville	Town Tamatave
Capital		4h 49	10h 57	14h 32
Town Moramanga	5h 49		6h 07	9h 42
Town Brickaville	13h 20	7h 31		3h 35
Town Tamatave	17h 17	11h 28	3h 57

Regarding the southern railway:  

- From Fianarantsoa to Manakara (departure 07.00) – 10 to 15 hours 

- From Manakara to Fianarantsoa (departure 06.45) – 10 to 15 hours 

Railway Companies and Consortia 

Northern railway*: 

Madarail was founded on October 10, 2002 following the decision of the Malagasy State to privatize the Malagasy National Railway Network1 (RNCFM). 

A concession agreement for the management of the North network is then established between the new private operator and the State. Madarail began operating the Northern railway network in Madagascar on 1 July 2003. 

In 2008, the Belgian operator Vecturis, already active in eight other African countries, became the majority shareholder of the company and the new railway operator. Vecturis is investing USD $ 68 million for the rehabilitation of the lines and the renovation of the railway fleet with the help of the World Bank, the European Investment Bank and other commercial banks. 

In 2011, Madarail Holding became the majority shareholder, but Vecturis remains the railway operator. 

75% of the company's capital is held by Madarail Holding and the remaining 25% by Madagascar. 

Transport of Goods: 

Madarail transports different types of products (dangerous goods, construction materials, quarry products, agricultural and food products, containerized products, etc.) through the North Network. 

The commercial fleet includes 17 locomotives, 260 wagons of different types. The trains make 

-       2 daily return trips between Tamatave and Antananarivo 

-       2 weekly back and forth between Antsirabe and Antananarivo 

Services are valid 7 days a week and 24 hours a day. 

Transport of persons: 

The "Dia Soa" train has been set up to serve the enclave areas between Moramanga/Tamatave and Moramanga/Ambatondrazaka. 

There is also two tourist trains, the Micheline and the Trans Lémurie Express. 

 

Southern railway: 

The Fianarantsoa-East Coast line, or FCE, is a Madagascar public company attached to the Ministry of Transport with an autonomous management. The railway line connecting the city of Fianarantsoa to the eastern coast of the island, and more specifically to Manakara, which is also located in the province of Fianarantsoa. 

 It is 163 km long, passes through seventeen railway stations, sixty-five bridges and forty-eight tunnels including Ankarapotsy’s wich is 1,074 m. The government estimate the number of peoples depending directly on the railway to be more than 100.’000, with economical, schools and medicals services. 

The FCE transports different types of products, it generally bring agricultural and food products from the eastern side to Fianarantsoa, while on the other way, it is carrying first necessity items, food, construction materials. 

There is one train a week dedicated to the transport of good from Fianarantsoa to Manampatrana (4 hours and back) which is more or less the half of the line. It habitually tow three cargo wagons – 105 tons total 

Type of train	Destinations	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday	Sunday
Passengers (with cargo wagons)	Fianarantsoa - Manakara	-	X				X
	Manakara - Fianarantsoa	-		X				X

 

 

For more information on railway company contact details, please see the following link: 4.9 Railway Companies Contact List.  

 

Capacity Table 

Rail Operator Capacity
	MADARAIL	MADARAIL	MADARAIL
Lines Operates On	Ligne TCE	Ligne MLA	Ligne TA (Ambatolampy Antananarivo)
Max Train Length and / or Pulling Capacity	300 tons	500 tons	350 tons
Locomotives	Diesel électrique	Diesel électrique	Diesel   électrique
Covered Freight Wagons Size (m)	Wagons ayant une capacité de 35 tonnes   12 m x 2,5 m
Flatbed Freight Wagons Size (m)	Wagon plat permettant le transport d’un conteneur de 40 pieds ou 2 conteneurs de 20 pieds
High-sided Freight Wagons Size (m)	N/A
Drop-side Freight Wagons Size (m)	N/A

 

Key Route Information 

Standard Route Information
	TCE	TA	MLA	VMC
Track Gauge	1000 mm	1000 mm	1000 mm	1000 mm
Ruling Gradient	Max  27 %0	Max  20 %0	Max  20 %0	Max  10 %0
Total Track Distance	370 Km (Simple)	153 Km (Simple)	142 Km (Simple)	20 Km (Simple)
Type of Rail	Vignole S36	Vignole S26	Vignole S36	Vignole S30
Type of Sleeper and Fastenings	TBA – TM  Clips – Tirefonds – Crapauds	TBA – TM - TB  Clips – Tirefonds – Crapauds	TBA – TM - TB  Clips – Tirefonds – Crapauds	TM - TB  Tirefonds – Crapauds
Total Track Travel Time	14H32	3H48	4H48	1H35
Maintenance	Moyen	Moyen	Moyen	Moyen
Companies / Consortiums Operating on Line	MADARAIL	MADARAIL	MADARAIL	MADARAIL
Traffic Frequency	Daily	Twice a week	Twice a week	Twice a week
Security	Moyen	Moyen	Moyen	Moyen
Main Stations

TCE : Antananarivo Toamasina  

TA : Antananarivo Antsirabe mais ouverte uniquement jusqu’à la ville d’Ambatolampy  

MLA : Moramanga Vohidiala  

VMC : Vohidiala Morarano Chrome  

TBA : traverses en béton armé  

TM : Traverses métalliques  

TB : Traverses en bois   

 

Key Stations 

Key Station Information
	Gare   ANTANANARIVO	Gare  MORAMANGA	GARE TOAMASINA
Location	Lalaina RAKOTONDRAMANANA	RIndra RAKOTONDRASOJA	Herintsaina INDRIAMIFIDIMANANA
Contact Information	+261340050021	+261340050255	+261340050056
Connections with Other  Transport Means	ROUTE/AIR	ROUTE/AIR	ROUTE/VOIES NAVIGABLES/AIR
Storage Capacity  (m2 and m3)	1000 m2  30 000 m3	500 m2  15000 m3	700 m2  20 000 m3
Handling Equipment	ELEVATEUR 7 TONS   REACH STACKER 42 TONS	ELEVATEUR 7 TONS	ELEVATEUR   7 TONS
Handling Capacity	No data available	No Data available	No Data available
Other Comments	N/A	N/A	N/A