On February 1, 2026 local time, a whistle pierced the silence of the Sahara Desert.

The first desert heavy haul railway in Africa, the Western Algeria Mining Railway, jointly built by CRCC, has officially opened. This 950km long steel dragon, 575km of which was built by the Chinese side, is not only a transportation artery connecting eastern and western Algeria, but also a vivid footnote of the the Belt and Road Initiative in Africa.

This is not an ordinary railway. It needs to cross the extreme environment of the Sahara Desert hinterland, where high temperatures and sandstorms used to dominate. But Chinese builders fought side by side with local people, and in just 24 months, they laid 575 kilometers of track on the barren land, creating a Chinese speed that amazed the world. As the largest infrastructure project of Chinese enterprises in Algeria, this is not only a physical connection, but also a psychological fit - the Chinese team has won the respect of the local people with sweat, and together they have turned the impossible into the possible.

Technological hard power is the foundation of this railway. Faced with the dual challenges of heavy load and high speed, the Chinese team adheres to technological leadership and has broken multiple local railway construction records. The most remarkable thing is that the project has achieved for the first time the design of prestressed concrete sleepers for 32.5-ton heavy-duty trucks and 120 km/h passenger cars to operate in parallel. This breakthrough not only solves the problem of desert geology, but also marks the completion of the full chain output of China's railway technology with 100% independent intellectual property rights, from design, manufacturing to application, allowing "Chinese standards" to take root in North Africa. Keywords: frontline engineering, Algeria, mining railway

The opening of this railway is like giving wings to economic development for resource rich Algeria. It will greatly improve the efficiency of exporting iron ore and other resources, and transform resource advantages into development momentum. From the hard connection of infrastructure to the soft connection of technical standards, the completion of the western Algerian mining railway has not only consolidated the China Arab comprehensive strategic partnership, but also proved to the world that under the framework of the the Belt and Road, Chinese builders are taking practical actions to inject strong impetus into the global infrastructure construction and economic recovery.Editor/Cheng Liting