Libreville (Owendo) to Franceville

Trains link Libreville with Franceville several nights a week, either the faster Train Express Trans-Ogooue (formerly Ntsa Express) or the all-stations Train Omnibus l'Equateur.  The station at Libreville is Owendo, which is about 4 or 5 miles south of Libreville itself.  Although most trains run overnight, there are no sleeping berths, only seats.  Feedback would be appreciated if you use these trains. 

You can check these times at www.setrag.ga.  Departure times seem to change every few months, so check locally.  They also have an Android app, play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.setrag.mobile.

 Libreville ► Franceville

Km

Train:

 Train Express

Trans-Ogooue

VIP, 1st, 2nd, restaurant

Train Omnibus

l'Equateur

1st, 2nd, restaurant

Days of running:

Thursday

Tue

Fri

Train number:

411

233

533

0

Owendo (Libreville)

12:00

12:00

18:00

182

Ndjolé

??:??

??:??

??:??

338

Booué

??:??

??:??

??:??

484

Lastoursville

??:??

??:??

??:??

619

Moanda

??:??

??:??

??:??

669

Franceville

??:??

??:??

??:??

Express:  VIP class, 1st class, 2nd class, restaurant car, in cars built in Germany in 2017.

Omnibus:  VIP class, 1st class & 2nd class in some cars built in Korea in 2011, and some 2nd hand 1960s cars from France.

? = approximate time.  ??:?? = time not known.

 Franceville ► Libreville

Train:

 Train Express

Trans-Ogooue

VIP, 1st, 2nd, restaurant

Train Omnibus

l'Equateur

1st, 2nd, restaurant

Days of running:

Tuesday

Saturday

Thursday

Train number:

212

612

432

Franceville

15:00

12:00

12:00

Moanda

??:??

??:??

??:??

Lastoursville

??:??

??:??

??:??

Booué

??:??

??:??

??:??

Ndjolé

??:??

??:??

??:??

Owendo (Libreville)

??:??

??:??

??:??

How much does it cost?

Owendo to Franceville

VIP seat

1st class seat

2nd class seat

Express:

64,300 CFA ($114)   

56,300 CFA ($102)   

42,200 CFA ($81) 

Omnibus:

56,300 CFA   

47,200 CFA ($86)   

33,100 CFA ($64)

Infants under 4 free.  Children 4-11 half price.  You can check these fares at www.setrag.ga.

How to buy tickets

Luggage

Up to 10Kg of hand luggage can be taken onto the train with you.  Up to 30Kg can be checked before departure for a CFA 1300 registration fee and CFA 500 wrapping fee per item.  You need to check your bags in at the station at least an hour or two before departure.  If you have a 1st class or VIP class ticket there is a 1st class lounge you can use at Owendo to wait for your train.  Feedback would be appreciated.

What are the trains like?

The express train was re-equipped in 2017 with modern air-conditioned cars built in Germany.  1st class has seats 2+1 across the car width. 2nd class has seats 2+2 across the car width.  Both are comfortable although only seats are provided, not sleeping berths.  The express train also has VIP class, consisting of very comfortable 40-degree-reclining leather seats with footrest.  New restaurant cars should also have been delivered by the end of 2017.  The train omnibus uses older cars, mainly French-built, but they are still comfortable.  No alcohol is allowed on board these trains.

Ntsa Express restaurant car

The air-conditioned Train Express, newly-delivered in 2017.  Photo courtesy of Rémi Favre...

2nd class seats on the Libreville to Franceville train   1st class on the express

Train Express, new 2017 1st class.

Photo courtesy of Rémi Favre

 

Another shot of the new 1st class on the express.  Courtesy of Stuart Jarvis.

Ntsa Express restaurant car

The view along the track at Lope station.  Photo courtesy of Stuart Jarvis.

Ist class on the trainb omnibus   The Ntsa Express train at Owendo

1st class on the Train Omnibus.

Photo courtesy of Stuart Jarvis

 

SETRAG locomotive.

Photo courtesy of Clive Leatherdale

The Train Omnibus

The Train Omnibus, using older cars.  Photo courtesy of Melinda Barry.

Owendo (Libreville) station   Owendo (Libreville) station

Owendo station, some 4 miles from Libreville.

Photo courtesy of Ann Johnson

 

Owendo station.

Photo courtesy of Ann Johnson

Traveller's reports

Traveller Clive Leatherdale reports, "Previous guidebooks have suggested the train is decrepit and prone to breakdown and delay.  To my untrained eye, the train looked modern and reliable. On the day I visited the station it arrived on schedule to the minute.  Owendo station struck me by its cleanliness and efficiency, and Gabon seems proud of its railway."

More information

If anyone has any more information. photos or travel reports that would be useful for this page, please e-mail me!


Useful country information

Train operator:

SETRAG, www.setrag.ga.

 

Time zone:

GMT+1 all year

Dialling code:

 

+241

Currency:

£1 = approx 760 CFA Francs.     Currency converter

Tourist information:

  

Visas:

UK citizens need a visa for Gabon.  Gabonese embassy, 27 Elvaston Place, London SW7 5NL, tel. 020 7823 9986.  If arriving in Libreville by air you can het an e-visa at https://evisa.dgdi.ga.

Page last updated:

8 January 2024


Hotels in Gabon

Find hotels at Booking.comMy favourite hotel search: www.booking.com

Booking.com is my favourite hotel booking site and I generally use it to book all my hotels in one place.  I've come to trust booking.com's review scores, you won't be disappointed with any hotel that scores 8.0 or more.  Crucially, booking.com usually lets you book with free cancellation, which means you can confirm accommodation risk-free before train booking opens and/or you can hold accommodation while you finalise your itinerary and alter your plans as they evolve - a feature I use all the time when planning a trip.  I never book hotels non-refundably!

Backpacker hostels

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Travel insurance & other tips

 

Staysure travel insurance

 

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Always take out travel insurance

Never travel overseas without travel insurance from a reliable insurer, with at least £1m or preferably £5m medical cover.  It should also cover cancellation and loss of cash and belongings, up to a sensible limit.  An annual multi-trip policy is usually cheaper than several single-trip policies even for just 2 or 3 trips a year, I have an annual policy with Staysure.co.uk myself.  Here are some suggested insurers.  Seat61 gets a small commission if you buy through these links.

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Curve card

Curve card

Get a Curve card for foreign travel

Most banks give you a poor exchange rate, then add a foreign transaction fee on top.  A Curve MasterCard means no foreign transaction fees and gives you the mid-market exchange rate, at least up to a certain limit, £500 per month at time of writing.  The money you spend on your Curve card goes straight onto one of your existing debit or credit cards.

How it works:  1. Download the Curve app for iPhone or Android.  2. Enter your details & they'll send you a Curve MasterCard - they send to the UK and most European addresses.  3. Link your existing credit & debit cards to the app, you can link up to two cards with the free version of Curve, I link my normal debit card and my normal credit card.  4. Now use the Curve MasterCard to buy things online or in person or take cash from ATMs, exactly like a normal MasterCard. Curve does the currency conversion and puts the balance in your own currency onto whichever debit or credit card is currently selected in the Curve app.  You can even change your mind about which card it goes onto, within 14 days of the transaction.

I have a Curve Blue card myself, it means I can buy a coffee on a foreign station on a card without being stung by fees and lousy exchange rates, just by tapping the Curve card on their card reader.  The money goes through Curve to my normal debit card and is taken directly from my account (in fact I have the Curve card set up as payment card on Apple Pay on my iPhone, so can double-click my phone, let it do Face ID then tap the reader with the phone - even easier than digging a card out).  I get a little commission if you sign up to Curve, but I recommend it here because I think it's great.  See details, download the app and get a Curve card, they'll give you £5 cashback through that link.

 

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Get a VPN for safe browsing.  Why you need a VPN

When you're travelling you often use free WiFi in public places which may not be secure.  A VPN encrypts your connection so it's always secure, even on unsecured WiFi.  It also means you can select the geographic location of the IP address you browse with, to get around geoblocking which a surprising number of websites apply.  See VPNs & why you need one explainedExpressVPN is a best buy with a 4.7 out of 5 Trustpilot ranking which I use myself - I've signed up as an ExpressVPN affiliate, and if you go with expressvpn.com using the links on this page, you should see a special deal, 3 months free with an annual subscription.  I get a small commission to help support this site.

 

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Carry an Anker powerbank

Tickets, reservations, vaccination records and Interrail or Eurail passes are often held digitally on your mobile phone, so it's vital to keep it charged.  I always carry an Anker powerbank which can recharge my phone several times over if I can't get to a power outlet.  Buy from Amazon.co.uk or from Buy from Amazon.com.

 


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