The construction of the first section of the planned 1,000km Bechar-Tindouf railway corridor in Algeria will be launched on July 5. This is according to Mohamed Saad Benkamou, the mayor of the city of Bechar, who met this past weekend with the various project stakeholders.

Ahmed Benabbes, CEO of the National Iron and Steel Company (FERAAL), was quoted by Algérie Presse Service (APS) as saying that the contract for the second segment, which is around 170 kilometres from Tindouf, will be signed within two weeks.

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Overview of the proposed Bechar-Tindouf railway corridor project in Algeria

Around twenty buildings, including a 9km bridge and a station at the regional capital of Abadla (88km south of Bechar), will be connected to this first stretch.

The network will also have a 30-kilometre ramp connecting the prospective steelmaking complex of Bechar to the Bechar/Oran railway line. In order to facilitate the transportation of products from this complex to the port of Arzew (Oran)

The Bechar-Tindouf railway corridor is described as a critical infrastructure for the conveyance of iron ore from the large Gâra Djebilet deposit. The rail should facilitate the transport of the resources extracted to the steel complex planned in Bechar whose output is aimed at the global market via the ore port of Arzew.

Furthermore, the lack of railway infrastructure limits the exploitation of the full potential of this mine. Which is currently operated on only 500 hectares out of an area of ​​nearly 115,000 hectares declared for the project. According to Ahmed Benabbes, the building of railroads will make it possible to boost the steel unit’s production from the initial 500,000 tonnes to 10 million tonnes. It will also enhance the mobility of the region.