The Algerian National Railway Authority recently issued a heavyweight order to launch an international tender for the 495 kilometer Lagwatt Gerdaye El Meinia railway project, with a total value of over 2.5 billion US dollars. As the first phase of the Algiers Tamanracet railway project, it not only aims to break through the bottleneck of north-south transportation, but also provides a new stage for Chinese rail transit enterprises that are deeply involved in the North African market.

The Steel Dragon in the Desert

This project is a key part of Algeria's efforts to improve the national road network layout. The route starts from Lagwatt in the north and ends at Ermeniya in the south, connecting major southern towns such as Geldaye. According to the plan, this railway will achieve passenger and freight separation: passenger trains can reach a maximum speed of 220 kilometers per hour, and freight trains can reach a speed of 100 kilometers per hour. After completion, it will significantly improve the logistics efficiency in the southern region, becoming an important support for connecting the northern coastal economic belt with the southern hinterland, and assisting in regional economic integration.

Detailed explanation of two major sections

The $2.5 billion investment is divided into two core sections, with a bidding deadline of May 24, 2026.

The first section (Lagwatt to Geldaye) is 265 kilometers long and costs approximately 1.4 billion US dollars. The engineering difficulty is relatively high, requiring the construction of 21 elevated bridges, 1 tunnel, and 5 stations, which are further divided into 4 independent construction contract packages.

The second section (from Geldaye to Ermeniya) is 230 kilometers long and costs approximately 1.2 billion US dollars. It passes through towns such as Mansoura and will construct three new stations and multiple engineering structures.

It is worth noting that the project has received low interest loan support of approximately 870 million US dollars from the African Development Bank, and the funding implementation is good. Keywords: international transportation, railway transportation, Algeria

An old friend of China's infrastructure

This bidding is not the first cooperation between Algerian and Chinese enterprises. Previously, the Western Algeria Railway Mining Line, mainly constructed by China Railway Construction, has been successfully opened, setting a good benchmark for cooperation.Editor/Cheng Liting