Algeria railway development plans: $18.5bn rail push

Algeria railway development plans are backed by Dinars 2.4 trillion ($US 18.5bn), as reported by International Railway Journal, citing Nabil Boubaya, central director of the National Railway Investment Design and Implementation Supervision Agency (Anesrif). He shared the update in a recent interview on national radio.

This is reported by the railway transport news portal Railway Supply.

Algeria railway investment programme and network expansion

Boubaya said the current Algeria railway investment programme has extended the national network from around 4000km to 5738km over the last few years. The funding is intended to upgrade existing routes while also extending rail coverage into additional areas.

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Rail is viewed as a strategic tool to cut logistics costs, improve passenger transport and strengthen regional integration. Those objectives sit at the centre of Algeria’s effort to modernise its rail system.

Laghouat – Ghardaïa – El Menéa railway project

One priority within the programme is the Laghouat – Ghardaïa – El Menéa railway project. Anesrif is currently delivering the new 495km line from Laghouat to Ghardaïa and El Menéa, a scheme also discussed in Railway Supply.

African Development Bank loan for Algeria railway

Last month, the African Development Bank (AfDB) approved a €747.3m loan to fund the first phase of the Laghouat – Ghardaïa – El Menéa project.

The project is expected to stimulate economic development in southern Algeria by easing the movement of agricultural and industrial products to market. Abdoulkader Dileita, AfDB country manager for Algeria, said the railway would help reshape economic dynamics in southern Algeria over the long term.

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