Since mid-2022 when the Gâra Djebilet iron mine was put into operation, the extracted resources have been transported by road, which could lead to early deterioration of the track and affect the mobility and activities of local populations.
The construction of a first section of 200 km out of the 1,000 km planned for the Bechar-Tindouf railway corridor will be launched on July 5, according to the mayor of the city of Bechar, Mohamed Saïd Benkamou who held this weekend a working session with the various project stakeholders.
This 1st section will be connected to around twenty structures, including a 9 km bridge and a station in the capital of the Abadla region (88 km south of Bechar). The network will also have a 30 km ramp which will connect the future steelmaking complex of Bechar to the Bechar/Oran railway line to allow the transport of production from this complex to the port of Arzew (Oran).
The contract for a 2nd section of about 170 km from Tindouf should be signed within 2 weeks according to Ahmed Benabbes, CEO of the National Iron and Steel Company (FERAAL), quoted by Algérie Presse Service ( APS ).
The Bechar-Tindouf railway corridor is announced as a strategic 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 production is intended for the international market via the ore port of Arzew.
The lack of railway infrastructure limits the exploitation of the full potential of this mine, currently operated on only 500 hectares out of an area of nearly 115,000 hectares declared for the project. According to Ahmed Benabbes, the construction of railways will enable the production of the steel unit to be increased to 10 million tonnes, against 500,000 tonnes planned at the start. It will also improve mobility in the region.
