In the wake of controversy surrounding the use of Liberia trail, the Republic of Guinea has reportedly received a major boost thus snubbing Liberia’s negotiating power to the deal.
A political analyst following the Guinean latest developments, told this newspaper in a late interview that with the ongoing growths, Junta leaders will no longer consider Liberia, specifically to the rail deal.
Meanwhile, the implementation of Guinea’s ambitious Simandou 2040 Program has reached a major milestone with the delivery of the first four locomotives for the Trans Guinean Company (CTG).
Guinean Junta leaders reportedly received the locomotives on Sunday, September 28, 2025, but were being kept “secret.”
“This government initiative aims to leverage the country’s vast mineral resources for comprehensive and sustainable development,” said one Junta official.
The lead locomotive was symbolically named “KŌMA,” after the President’s native village, while the others were named after villages associated with project officials.
These trains will form part of a planned massive fleet of 143 locomotives and over 7,000 wagons.
The US$20 billion program centers on exploiting the massive Simandou iron ore reserve, which involves constructing a 650 km railway, and a deep-water port.
The rail line is expected to transport 120 million tons of iron ore over two years and, critically, will also carry passengers and freight to connect Guinea’s four natural regions.
Launched to maximize mineral value and promote local value addition, the Simandou 2040 Program includes the creation of a sovereign wealth fund.
It has identified 14 priority sectors for investment, including infrastructure, industry and agriculture.
The delivery of these first locomotives brings Guinea closer to its goal of becoming a model of sustainable development and economic integration in West Africa.
Recent development
Guinea has recently inaugurated a major railway project associated with the Simandou iron ore project, one of Africa’s largest mining initiatives.
The project involves a Transguinean railway, approximately 650-670 km long, which links the mineral-rich Simandou mountains to a new deep-water port on the Atlantic coast.
The total cost for the entire Simandou project, which includes the mine, railway, and port, is an estimated US$20 billion, “not US$1.2 billion for the railway alone.”
Key details of the railway:
Primarily to transport iron ore, but it will also carry passengers and general freight, connecting Guinea’s four natural regions.
The line includes 12 train stations, more than 200 bridges, and four tunnels.
The project is a joint venture between the Guinean government, Winning Consortium Simandou (WCS), and Rio Tinto Simfer.
The project officially began operations, and was inaugurated in November, 2025.
“It is possible that the US$1.2 billion figure in your query refers to a separate, smaller bauxite railway project (Dapilon-Santou railway, around 135 km long), launched by the SMB-Winning Consortium in 2019, which had an estimated cost of US$1.2 billion.
Source: APAnews.net