Every day, around 80,000 people use Senegal’s Train Express Régional (TER) to travel between Dakar and Diamniadio. What once took more than two hours in traffic now takes just 40 minutes by train.

Launched in 2021, the TER was built to cut congestion, reduce pollution, and modernize public transport in one of West Africa’s fastest-growing urban regions. With more than 55 million passengers carried so far, the railway has already helped remove thousands of cars from the road.

But the project also brings new challenges — from waste management and safety to rapid expansion. This video looks at how Senegal’s flagship train is changing daily life, and what it could mean for the future of sustainable urban transport in Africa.