CHINA Railway Construction Corporation (CRCC) has begun work to build a 575km railway to connect the Gâra Djebilet iron ore mine in the remote Tindouf province of western Algeria with the national rail network at Béchar.
A groundbreaking ceremony for the project was held during an official visit to Tindouf by Algeria’s president, Mr Abdelmadjid Tebboune, and was also attended by CRCC president, Mr Wang Lixin.
According to the Algerian government, Gâra Djebilet is one of the largest iron ore mines in the world, with reserves of 3.5 billion tonnes.
The new railway would connect the mine with centres of industrial production and ports on the national network, facilitating the development of iron ore mining in Algeria, which is expected to create 3000 jobs during its first phase.
Under its contract with the Algerian National Railway Investment Design and Implementation Supervision Administration, CRCC will work jointly with state-owned civil engineering company Cosider Travaux Publics.
CRCC says that it will draw on its full range of expertise in desert railway construction, using specialised construction technology and the results of scientific research in order to control the movement of sand and the formation of deposits that might obstruct train operations.
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