Algeria’s New Light Rail System

Commercial services began on 5th July on the first light railway line in Constantine, the third-largest city of Algeria. The line was declared open by the transport Minister, Mr Amar Tou, at a ceremony attended by the Wali for Constantine, Mister Nuredin Bedoui, and chairman of RATP Dev, the French leader of the consortium which will be operating and maintaining the light rail system for the first 10 years.

The €307m line covers 8.1 km from Benabdelmalek to Zouaghi, with 10 stops and will carry around 70,000 passengers per day operating between 05:00 and 23:00 each day. During peak periods trains will operate at three-minute intervals, and 5 minutes off-peak. Operating speed will be around 70 km per hour (43 mph).

Civil works for the new line were the responsibility of Pizzarotti, Italy, with Alstom supplying 27 Citadis LRVs, and track, power and operating systems.

The consortium, which will operate and maintain the line for the first 10 years, is named Setram, and comprises French company RATP Dev, Algiers Metro Enterprise, and Algiers Urban and Suburban Public Transport Enterprise.

The consortium has hired and trained around 500 local staff, developed operating procedures, maintenance policies and conducted operating trials.