• Algeria begins test runs on strategic Béchar-Tindouf-Gara Djebilet railway

• 950-km line to support iron ore mining, enters service in 2026

• Project advances rail expansion and shifts freight from road to rail

Test runs have begun on Algeria’s new Béchar-Tindouf-Gara Djebilet railway line, a strategic corridor designed to support the development of the Gara Djebilet iron ore mine, one of the world’s largest deposits.

 The trials are a key step ahead of the line entering service in 2026. The 950-km section was built by Algeria’s state-owned ANESRIF and COSIDER in partnership with China’s CRCC.

 The project is part of a national rail expansion plan, which targets a 15,000-km network by 2030, up from 4,722 km in 2023, according to official figures.

 It also lays the groundwork for a regional metallurgical hub, enabling the transport of large volumes of iron ore to local processing plants and ports.

 Rail expansion is also a key tool in Algeria’s push to shift freight from road to rail, easing strain on the road network and making freight transport more competitive, particularly for mining, industrial and agricultural output.

 Official data show the rail network totalled around 1,000 km after independence in 1962, rising to 1,700 km by 2000. A surge in investment over the past two decades helped expand the network to nearly 4,722 km in 2023. An extension to 6,500 km is currently under construction, according to the National Agency for the Study and Follow-up of the Realization of Railway Investments.

Henoc Dossa