Africa's China-built first heavy-haul desert railway opens in Algeria

Algeria's Western Mining Railway, Africa's first heavy-haul desert railway, has opened to traffic, improving Algeria's national railway network and promoting connectivity and economic development in the country's southwestern areas.

Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune announced the project's official operation at a ceremony held on Sunday in the southwestern province of Bechar.

The 950-km railway, with 575 km constructed by China Railway Construction Corporation and Algerian state-owned companies, represents the largest infrastructure project undertaken by a Chinese company in Algeria.

At the ceremony, Tebboune noted that with the participation of Chinese enterprises, the project set new records for construction speed.

Over the past two years, Chinese and Algerian builders worked side by side in the Sahara Desert under extreme conditions, with temperatures exceeding 50 degrees Celsius, as well as limited access to water, fuel and communications.

A project supervisor and head of track construction spoke highly of the performance of Chinese equipment. "The Chinese CPG500 track-laying machine completely exceeded my expectations," he said. Capable of laying more than 500 meters of long rails in a single operation, the machine offers high positioning accuracy and strong continuous operating capacity.

"Even in desert conditions with temperatures reaching 55 degrees Celsius, frequent sandstorms and sharp day-night temperature differences, it can still operate stably. This level of reliability is especially valuable in desert construction."

The Chinese side also introduced advanced navigation and surveying systems, along with 3D laser scanners, which can correct measurement deviations caused by high temperatures and sand in real time, enabling dynamic control of construction precision and the accurate implementation of design plans.

Supported by these advanced technologies, the project set a record of laying and welding 4.5 kilometers of rails and prefabricating 5,200 sleepers in a single day.

Over 8,000 Chinese and Algerian workers completed the project's construction in 24 months amid challenging Sahara Desert conditions, achieving breakthroughs and setting new records for local railway construction.

According to local media, the railway will be able to transport 50 million tonnes of iron ore annually, while also meeting the passenger transport demands, bringing convenience to residents along the route.

(With input from Xinhua)