TRACKLAYING is complete on the final section of the 575km iron ore railway under construction in western Algeria, according to China Rail Construction Corporation (CRCC), the lead contractor working on the project alongside Algerian state-owned engineering company, Cosider Travaux Publics.
Running from the Gâra Djebilet iron ore mine in the remote Tindouf province of western Algeria, the line connects with the national rail network at Béchar. CRCC says tracklaying has been completed three months ahead of schedule.
Work was completed on the initial 98km section of the line from Béchar to Abadla in April 2025 while CRCC handed over a 135km section of the line between Tindouf and Gara Djebilet in July. CRCC reported completion of another 308.7km section on December 5, confirming that it would complete the remainder by the end of 2025.
Reports in the Chinese media citing CRCC confirmed that this schedule was met, with Algeria’s National Railway Investment Design and Implementation Supervision Agency (Anserif) reporting the operation of a pilot service on the line on January 6.
CRCC says it used more than 70 items of specialist construction equipment for the 308.7km section, working a 24-hour double-shift cycle, laying an average of 3.5km of track per day and achieving a maximum of 4.23km in a single day. CRCC says it faced the challenge of completing the project in hilly areas in the extreme environment of the Sahara Desert, where temperatures can fluctuate by more than 40°C with sandstorms common.
Sleepers for the line have been supplied by a factory established by China Railway 15th Bureau Group Assembly Technology Company in Tindouf, which has produced more than 1.06 million heavy-duty sleepers, 32,000 bridge sleepers and 91 sets of sleepers for turnouts. Production peaked at 110,000 sleepers per month, according to CRCC.
Gâra Djebilet is one of the largest iron ore mines in the world with reserves of 3.5 billion tonnes.
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