Chinese consortium starts work on Algeria’s Western Mining Railway

Work has started on construction of a Heavy haul railway in the southwest of Algeria which will extend the national rail network by 575 km. This according to reporting by the Railway Gazette International which goes on to state: the work is being led by China Railway Construction Corp and local partner Cosider Travaux Publics and will link up with the existing railhead at Béchar into the Sahara Desert. Known as the Western Railway Mining Line, the long-proposed railway is intended to serve the Gara Djebilet iron ore mine in Tindouf province and the Dumiat Industrial Zone in Béchar. The railway will feature more than 40 stations, sidings and loops to support the operation of iron ore trains. Gara Djebilet is described as one of the largest iron ore reserves in the world, with deposits estimated at 3·5 billion tonnes.