Transport in Liberia

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thumb|upright=1.35|The streets of downtown [[Monrovia, March 2009]]

Transport in Liberia consists of of railways, 6,580 miles of highways (408 mi paved), seaports, 29 airports (2 paved) and 2 miles of pipeline for oil transportation. Railroads are almost exclusively for cargo. Buses and taxis are the main forms of ground transportation in and around Monrovia. Charter boats and ferries are also available.

Railways

thumb|Map of the three railroads in Liberia

Three railways were built in Liberia to export ore from iron mines. All three opened in the 1960s, and all three were damaged and closed during the civil wars between 1989 and 2003. Two of the three re-opened to some degree after the war.

The first rail line, the Mano River Railway, opened in 1960. It was a route from Monrovia to mines near the border with Sierra Leone. It closed in the early part of the First Liberian Civil War in 1989 and did not reopen.

The Bong Mine railway line began operation in 1964, but closed in 1992 due to the civil war. It runs for . Service has come and gone since. In 2010, the railway was performing freight and passenger trips between Monrovia and the (former) mining town of Bong. By 2016, the railway and mine were both closed.

The Lamco Railway began operation in 1963, and takes its name from the mining company that built it: the Liberian-American-Swedish Mining Company. There has been a proposal to extend the Lamco railway to serve a mine across the border in Guinea.

Roadways

thumb|A map of Liberia's major roads and railways

Liberia's road network is relatively underdeveloped, though recent years have seen significant improvements. A 2016 road inventory found approximately of roads in the country, though only around are paved. The paved roads are mostly in good condition, while the unpaved roads are mostly in poor condition, especially in rural and inland areas. Roadways connecting Liberia to its neighbors exist, but the highway is in a variable state of paving, quality, and usefulness. Once the highway is fully upgraded, it will cross the country, connecting it to Freetown (Sierra Leone), Abidjan (Ivory Coast), and eventually to 11 other nations of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).

Ports and harbors

Liberia has four major commercial ports, and nearly all of Liberia's international trade takes place by sea. Around half of the Liberian population lives within 2 hours of one of these ports. Monrovia primarily handles imports, and Buchanan mostly handles exports. The port of Monrovia collects 70% of the country's customs revenue. Monrovia handles more than 95% of the country's imports, with petroleum products and food being two major import commodities there. Iron ore and clinker are major exports through the port.

More than 5,000 ships are registered on the Liberian International Ship and Corporate Registry, representing 14% of the world's merchant fleet. The LISCR is a major source of money and diplomatic power for Liberia, but is operated out of the United States. The monetary benefits of the registry are substantial, accounting for around 25% of Liberian government revenue in the 2010s. At times during the Liberian civil wars, shipping registrations provided as much as 90% of the government's revenue. The LISCR receives a 25% portion of net profits, with the rest going to the Liberian government. Liberian law mandates that the registry be operated from the United States.

Airports

thumb|The exterior of Roberts International Airport in 2010

Small-scale air travel in Liberia dates back to the late 1920s, in part due to Firestone's development of rubber plantations within Liberia. During World War II, Liberia was well placed for intermediate stops between Allied airbases, and the United States government contracted with Pan Am to build a Liberian airfield for this purpose. The first major airfield in Liberia was built in closer proximity to Firestone's plantations than the capital, and when it was converted for civil aviation after the war, the road between Monrovia and the airfield went through Firestone's property.

The main international airport in the country is Roberts International Airport, located approximately outside of Monrovia. It has a single runway. The only other paved-runway airport in the country is Spriggs Payne Airport, located outside of downtown Monrovia. There are numerous local airfields with unpaved runways spread throughout the country as well.