Western Mining Railway: Landmark Progress as Algeria Nears Completion of Strategic Megaproject
✍️ BY: Dr. Hana Saada
Algiers – September 2025 – Algeria is on the verge of completing one of its most ambitious infrastructural undertakings since independence, as the most challenging section of the Western Mining Railway—spanning Béchar, Tindouf, and Gara Djebilet—has reached a completion rate of 95%. This colossal project, designed to anchor Algeria’s economic diversification and industrial resurgence, is steadily transforming the arid expanses of the Sahara into the backbone of a new geo-economic era.
Stretching 440 kilometers between Hamaïguire and Oum El Assel, the segment under construction was identified by the National Agency for Railway Investment Studies and Monitoring (ANESRIF) as the most difficult of the entire line due to its formidable geographic constraints and logistical isolation. Yet, in spite of these challenges, the project has achieved decisive milestones: earthworks and embankments are nearly completed, and major engineering structures have taken shape, with 12 large railway bridges finalized and six more under way. Among these stands the monumental Oued Eddourra viaduct, a 4,111-meter structure already 78% complete, embodying the audacity and scope of Algeria’s infrastructural ambition.
A Railway of Continental Scale
The Western Mining Railway is not a mere transportation route. Extending nearly 1,000 kilometers across the Sahara, it is conceived to carry vast quantities of iron ore from Gara Djebilet—one of the world’s largest deposits—towards domestic and international markets. ANESRIF emphasizes that this line represents far more than a logistical necessity; it is a cornerstone of Algeria’s broader economic vision, aimed at reducing dependence on hydrocarbons, valorizing mineral resources, and consolidating the country’s regional geo-economic standing.
The first operational results are already visible. In Béchar, the 209-kilometer stretch to Hamaïguire has recorded remarkable progress, including the inauguration of a modern passenger station between Béchar and El Abadla, opened by President Abdelmadjid Tebboune in April. Passenger services on this section symbolize the political will to accelerate the delivery of critical infrastructure while spurring local development. The extension to Hamaïguire has reached more than 90% progress in earthworks, with bridges, underground structures, and overpasses emerging to secure the fluidity of future rail traffic.
Precision Engineering and Industrial Drive
Key technical advances mark this megaproject’s rapid pace. In the Hamaïguire corridor, 45 kilometers of fully ballasted rail track are already in place, while the Hassi Khebbi concrete sleeper factory has ramped up production to 3,800 units per day, ensuring uninterrupted supply to construction fronts. To date, approximately 100 kilometers of track have been laid, including service and crossing lines essential to the railway’s future exploitation.
Meanwhile, the Hamaïguire passenger station is progressing at high speed, with civil engineering works finalized and teams moving into interior and exterior fittings, platform construction, and auxiliary installations. This dual focus on freight and passenger capacity underlines the multidimensional nature of the project, which is designed not only to serve mining transport but also to anchor regional connectivity and development.
A Historic Project Since Independence
Entrusted to a consortium of national companies supported by foreign partners specialized in large-scale engineering, the Western Mining Railway is described by ANESRIF as “one of the most ambitious structural projects since independence.” Its impact extends far beyond the transport of Gara Djebilet’s billions of tons of iron ore. By integrating remote areas into the national economy, the railway opens unprecedented opportunities for industrialization, trade, and logistics in Algeria’s southwest, laying the foundations for a robust steel industry and a diversified national economy.
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