Senegal is piloting solar-powered smart crossings to make its railways safer 🇸🇳🚆

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Senegal’s national railway company — the CFS (Chemins de fer du Sénégal) — has launched a pilot program for smart level crossings in Thiès, aiming to strengthen safety along the Dakar-Thiès rail corridor. The system was unveiled on June 14, one day before World Level Crossing Awareness Day, an annual initiative organized by the International Union of Railways every June 15.

A fully wireless, solar-powered system ☀️

Here’s what makes this stand out: there are no cables. The entire system runs on solar energy and communicates through cellular and satellite networks — making it deployable even in remote sections of the railway where fixed infrastructure doesn’t reach. Seven level crossings are set to be equipped in total, starting with the one at the École polytechnique de Thiès (EPT), where the first prototype has already been installed.

How the system works ⚙️

Each crossing will be fitted with automatic barriers and connected sensors, turning standard crossings into what the CFS calls « supervised passages. » All collected data will be centralized at a control room in Thiès, where operators will be able to monitor train positions and the real-time status of every installation. Six locomotives are already equipped with the necessary communication devices, and before approaching any crossing, each driver will have access to its exact current status. According to Papa Babacar Youm, head of projects at the CFS, the goal of this permanent interconnection between crossing sites, locomotives, and the control center is, above all, to save lives and protect property.

If the pilot proves successful, the rollout will extend to crossings at Dangote, Pout, and Kilomètre 50, along with three other sites in Thiès — laying the groundwork for a broader digital overhaul of Senegal’s railway network.

The project comes at a time when African rail infrastructure continues to face serious safety challenges. According to CFS leadership, most railway accidents occur at the intersection of tracks and roads. By betting on connected, autonomous, solar-powered infrastructure, the CFS is testing a model that could eventually be replicated across other rail lines in the country.

Do you think this approach could scale across Africa’s railway networks? Let us know in the comments.