In the heart of Algeria’s Sahara Desert, Chinese state-owned giant China Railway Construction Corporation (CRCC) has completed laying track on the PK330 Bridge, a final and critical link in a new railway designed to unlock the nation’s mineral wealth.
It was the “most technically demanding railway engineering feat ever undertaken in North Africa”, CRCC said on December 10.
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How China is reshaping its economic ties with Africa
How China is reshaping its economic ties with Africa
With the final 60km of track laid, the entire route is expected to be fully operational by January, according to Algerian officials. It will finally bring the Gara Djebilet mine into production, decades after its initial discovery in the 1950s. The mine aims to produce between 2 million and 4 million tonnes of iron ore, eventually scaling up to 50 million tonnes per year by 2040.
Last month, Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune ordered the railway link – which will ease exports from the deposit – into “immediate service” and inauguration in January. The first rail shipments are expected to reach the Tosyali steel complex, 40km east of the city of Oran, in the first quarter of next year.
