ALGERIA has allocated Dinars 2.4 trillion ($US 18.5bn) to upgrade and extend its railway network, according to Nabil Boubaya, central director of the National Railway Investment Design and Implementation Supervision Agency (Anesrif).
Speaking during a recent interview on national radio, Boubaya said the current railway investment programme has extended the length of the network from around 4000km to 5738km over the last few years.
Rail is seen as a strategic tool to cut logistics costs, improve passenger transport and strengthen regional integration. One priority initiative is the new 495km line from Laghouat to Ghardaïa and El Menéa that Anesrif is currently delivering.
Last month the African Development Bank (AfDB) approved a €747.3m loan to finance the first phase of the Laghouat - Ghardaïa - El Menéa project, which is expected to stimulate economic development in southern Algeria by easing the movement of agricultural and industrial products to market.
“This transformational railway project will help reshape economic dynamics in southern Algeria over the long term,” says Abdoulkader Dileita, AfDB country manager for Algeria.
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