The Lomé–Aného railway was the first railway in the German protectorate of Togoland. Over a length of 44 kilometers, it connected the administrative center of Lomé with the coastal town of Aného. Colloquially, the coastal railway was also called (coconut railway) – coconut trees grew on the dunes between the beach and the lagoon; oil palm products were often transport goods. Transport before the construction of the rail line Draft animals were seldom used in south Togo, as the Surra-epizootic spread there. Due to the absence of natural harbors and because of the dangerous breakers, coastal shipping was little developed. Transport was only carried out by boats on the inland waters near the coast and by carriers. Even when the German colonialists introduced wagons after the seizure of the country in 1884, many of them were pulled by Africans with their muscle power. Planning The construction of the 1900–1904, should provide the country with a safe landing for ships from overseas. At the same time all customs formalities could be concentrated there. The existing roadstead in Anecho (formerly Klein-Popo) should be closed. To compensate, a railway connection should be built between Lomé and Aného, with which the goods traffic that previously took place in Aného could easily be transferred to Lomé. The alignment was primarily in line with the economic interests of European merchants, but also partially compensated for Anecho's impending loss of importance. The route followed the shortest route along the coast. Another reason for the chosen alignment could have been the influence of the , which operated a plantation in Kpeme and an agricultural farm in Baguida. Like this, it was avoided to traverse the actual main area of origin of the export products northeast of the Lake Togo. Construction Implementation Construction of the railway line began in early March 1904. Construction materials could only be unloaded safely after the completion of the pier. The construction work was entrusted to the (MAN), Gustavsburg branch. Technically, the construction was rather modest; groundwork and engineering structures were barely necessary. 1.12 million Mark were approved for the construction. The cost was around 23.000 Mark per kilometer of rail. Thus, the amount granted was nearly sufficient. The initially planned track gauge of 750 mm was changed to meter gauge shortly before the start of construction work. Working conditions Almost exclusively Africans were used as workers, which – compared with similar work in