By Hajaratu Bangura.
Tuesday, September 30, 2025, New Carrollton, US: Minister of Transport and Aviation, Alhaji Fanday Turay has announced that the country has ambitions to reintroduce commercial train transportation in the country.
Minister Turay was speaking during the Civic Day series in the United States on Tuesday, September 30,2025.
“His Excellency has a vision to also have a train in Sierra Leone. To accomplish that, we have already established an agency and they will start now to do the research. Just after the research, they will meet with business people and I think this is an opportunity for the diasporas as well,” he said while encouraging Sierra Leonean to get on board and invest.
“If you know you have a connection with a company that would be interested in doing this project, please after this briefing, you can contact us so we can get on the project together,” he said.
Train transportation was a major part of the country’s infrastructure, connecting communities and delivering goods in major points across the country.
Minister Turay has overseen a huge transformation in the transportation sector. With the introduction of the ”Waka Fine” buses.
“Since President Bio came back for the second time, I am sure that you know about the Waka Fine Bus System that has been introduced which has limited the transportation issue of citizens in the country. Per day, these buses carry over 35,000 people every day within Freetown and they run not only on weekdays but also on weekends,” the Minister of Transport said.
He said there are now discussions about rural transportation while highlighting another major achievement, which is the decentralization of license services across every district in the country.
A lot of people in the room were concerned about the rate of accidents in the country. Minister Turay they have set up mobile units patrolling the highway to deal with emergencies.
“To reduce the high number of accidents on the upline roads, the Sierra Leone Road Safety Authority (SLRSA) has set up a team based in Mile 91 that monitors traffic and removes overcrowded vehicles. Citizens can also report issues using the hotline 844,” he said
The Minister of Transport announced a number of reforms, including a possible review of the current airport security fee, $25.
