The Fianarantsoa - East Coast Railway (FCE)
The FCE is truly a legendary railway! After traveling on it, you’ll have a captivating and incredible story to tell: the tracks, the wagons, the people, the landscapes… With only one train remaining, and first-class passengers the only ones seated, your journey will undoubtedly be unforgettable!
An old railway that has seen it all
The Fianarantsoa – East Coast railway dates back to the colonial era and has never been renovated. The tracks, installed in 1889, come from Krupp steelworks in Germany, salvaged from an Alsatian railway line after World War I. The wagons, meanwhile, were made in Switzerland.
Construction took 10 years, from 1926 to 1936, with the goal of connecting the eastern part of the country to facilitate the export of Malagasy agricultural products to Europe. The route was designed as Manakara-Fianarantsoa by rail, then Fianarantsoa-Antananarivo-Toamasina by road, with Toamasina serving as the port.
The FCE stretches 163 km, featuring 18 stations, 48 tunnels (the longest is 1,072 m), 67 bridges, 4 large viaducts, and even an airport! The line crosses the runway of Manakara airport. The journey from the East Coast at Manakara to Fianarantsoa involves a 1,200 m elevation gain with a gradient reaching 3.66%, making it one of the steepest in the world.
A spectacular journey
The FCE is vital for the region, supporting around 200,000 farmers. Villages isolated in the emerald forest would be completely cut off without this railway, leaving farmers no means to transport their goods and produce.
With only one functioning locomotive, the railway operates just two round trips for passengers per week. Each trip requires about 300 liters of diesel and takes between 12 and 18 hours. At the station, farmers rush to load their goods into the wagons: nearly 400 passengers and 200 tons of cargo! No wonder the average speed is just 20 km/h !
This, however, gives travelers (especially tourists) ample time to enjoy the scenery: steep cliffs, hills dotted with banana trees, jackfruit trees, mango trees, and *ravinala* (Madagascar’s emblematic traveler’s palm), rice paddies, waterfalls… These breathtaking landscapes of greenery and water are accompanied by a sweet fruity fragrance. Inside and outside the train, fruits are everywhere!
Must-See Highlights:
Sahambavy (PK 21), Madagascar's only tea plantation
- Ranomena (PK 38) Featuring a 1,072 m tunnel.
- Andrambovato (PK 48) A bridge flanked by a waterfall and a 20-meter cascade.
- Tolongoina (PK 62) A 20 km stretch with a 600 m elevation change through primary forest.
- Manapatrana (PK 79) Boasting a 137 m viaduct.
- Sahasinaka (PK 114) Where the hills gradually reveal the approaching sea and Manakara
An exhilarating adventure
Though there are 18 official stations, the train makes many additional stops due to the poor condition of the wagons, rails, and challenging terrain. Issues may arise from mechanical breakdowns or the route itself. Train workers and passengers remain anxious throughout the journey, with brake failures particularly concerning on downhill slopes.
Cyclones exacerbate these challenges. The cyclones of 2000 caused significant damage, including 280 landslides along the line. During the rainy and cyclone seasons, fallen trees can block the tracks, requiring hours of effort from train workers and passengers to clear the path.
Other stops, however, are more lively and cheerful, especially at stations where women and children eagerly sell goods to travelers from their trays: exotic fruits (mandarins, bananas, pineapples, jackfruit), cakes, meatballs, sausages, fried chicken, meat skewers, crayfish, fritters, sambos (samosas), beverages (including coffee), spices (black pepper, green pepper, chili, vanilla), flowers, artisanal products, and more. It’s an emotional and sensory experience!
Your journey awaits
We’ve crafted a special itinerary, Canals and the Lushness of Eastern Madagascar, to let you experience this incredible train adventure to the fullest.
See you onboard soon!
