The national railway system was closed down in 1975 after a recommendation from the UN special fund. Volumes were low and maintenance costs high. At its height the narrow gauge railway lines stretched from Freetown to Pendembu in the east and from Freetown to Makeni – a total of 458 km. There was also a private mine railway (from Lunsar to Pepel) and a Mountain Railway in Freetown. There are 84 kilometres of railway in Sierra Leone, all of which is private and of a narrow gauge, 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in). Sierra Leone no longer has any common carrier railroads, as the 762 mm (2 ft 6 in) gauge Sierra Leone Government Railway from Freetown through Bo to Kenema and Daru, with a branch to Makeni, closed in 1974. The country does not share rail links with adjacent countries, Guinea and Liberia. The existing railway between the port of Pepel and the Marampa iron ore mine is being refurbished by African Minerals PLC. This is a common carrier railway, but will be used predominantly for transporting iron ore. African Minerals is also constructing a new standard gauge railway from the Tonkolili iron ore mine to a new port at Tagrin Point.

For more information, please see the following link: 4.1 Sierra Leone Government Contact List