By Cremilda Macuácua, China Africa News
Algiers — January 3,2026
China Railway Construction Corporation (CRCC) and Algerian partners have announced that the full-track installation of Algeria’s Western Mining Railway, the first heavy-haul desert railway in Africa, has been completed three months ahead of schedule, marking a major milestone in regional infrastructure development.
Stretching 575 kilometers across the Sahara, the new line represents the largest single infrastructure project undertaken by a Chinese company in Algeria, underscoring deepening economic cooperation between the two countries.
Construction teams from China and Algeria endured more than 24 months of extreme desert conditions, including high temperatures and shifting sands, to lay and weld more than 580 km of rail and produce 1.1 million concrete sleeperstailored to local standards.
CRCC engineers introduced Algeria’s first CPG500 track-laying machine and the country’s first automated rail-welding line, significantly improving construction efficiency and safety. The line has been engineered to support 32.5-tonne axle-load freight trains and passenger services capable of reaching 160 km/h once operations begin.
The Western Mining Railway, a flagship project under China’s Belt and Road Initiative, is designed to connect mines, industrial zones and ports in southwestern Algeria. It forms the backbone of a broader rail network being built to link rich mineral areas such as the Gâra Djebilet iron ore belt with processing facilities and export terminals.
The Gâra Djebilet mine, one of the world’s largest iron ore deposits, sits in western Algeria’s Tindouf Province and holds estimated reserves of about 3.5 billion tons of ore. As development scales up, the new railway is expected to facilitate the movement of ore from the interior to coastal processing sites and ports for export, helping Algeria diversify its economy beyond oil and gas.
Officials say the railway will be a critical driver of regional economic growth, improving transport efficiency, reducing costs for exporters and strengthening Algeria’s integration into African and global trade corridors. Enhanced rail connectivity is also seen as a catalyst for realising the full potential of mining projects that could yield tens of millions of tonnes of iron ore per year.
As the project transitions toward full operational status, analysts expect it to set a precedent for future heavy-haul railways in Africa, demonstrating international engineering collaboration and innovation in one of the world’s most challenging environments.
