Map of Current Railway & Train Lines In Africa & The Middle East

Map from OpenrailwaymapThis map shows the railway lines in the Middle East and Africa.

Here are some key observations:

1. Coverage in Africa:
   • The railway network is most developed in Southern Africa, particularly in South Africa, Zimbabwe, Zambia, and Namibia.
   • East Africa also has a notable railway presence, with lines in Tanzania, Kenya, and Mozambique.
   • West Africa has some railway lines, particularly in Nigeria, Ghana, and along the coast.
   • Central and North Africa have fewer railway lines, with some notable presence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Algeria.
2. Coverage in the Middle East:
   • The map shows fewer railway lines compared to Africa, with some presence in Saudi Arabia.
   • Other countries in the region, such as Egypt and Yemen, have limited railway lines shown on this map.
3. International Connections:
   • There are limited international railway connections across the regions, highlighting a fragmented network.
   • The focus appears to be more on national networks rather than cross-border connections.
4. Infrastructure Gaps:
   • Large areas, particularly in North Africa (Libya, Sudan) and Central Africa (Chad, Central African Republic), lack railway infrastructure.

Here is breakdown of the network size and the electrification levels of countries in the Africa & The Middle East:

Country/Territory	Length (km)	Electrified	% of the total
South Africa	20,953	7,413	46.51%
Iran	16,998	2,200	12.94%
Turkey	13,128	6,244	47.60%
Egypt	7,024	62	0.88%
Sudan	6,084	0	0.00%
Saudi Arabia	5,590	453	8.10%
Algeria	4,560	480	10.53%
DR Congo	4,096	852	11.20%
Nigeria	3,600	0	0.00%
Mozambique	3,249	0	0.00%
Zimbabwe	3,136	313	9.98%
Angola	2,761	0	0.00%
Syria	2,750	0	0.00%
Tanzania	2,600	0	0.00%
Kenya	2,541	0	0.00%
Namibia	2,382	0	0.00%
Ethiopia	2,185	1,401	64.12%
Tunisia	2,165	0	0.00%
Morocco	2,109	1,022	48.46%
Iraq	2,032	0	0.00%
Israel	1,511	250	16.55%
Uganda	1,244	0	0.00%
Uganda	1,244	0	0.00%
Zambia	1,237	0	0.00%
Yemen	1,060	0	0.00%
Cameroon	977	0	0.00%
Ghana	953	0	0.00%
Senegal	906	0	0.00%
Botswana	888	0	0.00%
UAE	869	0	0.00%
Madagascar	848	0	0.00%
Guinea	837	0	0.00%
Gabon	810	0	0.00%
Malawi	797	0	0.00%
Congo	795	0	0.00%
Benin	758	0	0.00%
Mali	729	0	0.00%
Mauritania	728	0	0.00%
Ivory Coast	639	0	0.00%
Jordan	622	0	0.00%
Lebanon	408	0	0.00%
Qatar	82	82	100.00%

To put those numbers into perspective, the entire network across all of Africa & the Middle East (including the large networks in Turkey & Iran) is 128,885 km which is smaller than the entire network of China (159,000 km) or the US (220,044 km).

And in terms of passenger numbers per year here the numbers for countries with at least 20 million passengers per year:

• Egypt: 270 million passengers (2019)
• South Africa: 269 million passengers (2017–18)
• Turkey: 164.7 million passengers (2019)
• Israel: 64.6 million passengers (2017)
• Tunisia: 41 million passengers (2017)
• Algeria: 39 million passengers (2018)
• Morocco: 35 million passengers (2018)
• Iran: 28.09 million passengers (2018)

Overall these countries had 911 million passengers which puts them well behind Japan (24.6 billion), India (8.4 billion), China (3.7 billion), Germany (2.9 billion), France (1.9 billion), UK (1.8 billion), Russia (1.2 billion), Brazil (1.1 billion), and Australia (1.1 billion).

Finally in terms of freight here is the data for countries that carry over 10 million tonnes per year:

• South Africa: 197 million tonnes (2011)
• Morocco: 37 million tonnes (2011)
• Iran: 33 million tonnes (2013)
• Turkey: 26 million tonnes (2014)
• Tunisia: 10 million tonnes (2012)

Here’s a more stylized version by researchremora