China Railway Construction Corporation (CRCC), in consortium with a local enterprise, has successfully won the bid and officially launched the construction of the telecommunications, signaling and power systems for the Western Railway Mineral Line in Algeria, marking a new achievement in CRCC's rolling business development in the Algerian railway market.
On August 2, local time, a consortium formed by China Railway Construction Corporation (CRCC) and a local enterprise successfully won the bid and officially launched the construction of the communication, signaling and power supply systems for the Western Railway Mining Line in Algeria, marking a new achievement in CRCC's ongoing business expansion in the Algerian railway market.
The Western Railway Mining Line project, in which CRCC is deeply involved, is Africa's first desert heavy-haul railway, spanning 950 kilometers. Since its opening to traffic, it has effectively improved Algeria's national railway network and facilitated connectivity and economic development in the country's southwestern provinces. However, railway freight and passenger transport currently rely primarily on diesel locomotive traction, and the efficiency of transport organization and management still needs improvement. The Algerian government has therefore decided to launch the construction of the communication, signaling and power supply systems.
Located in the Sahara region and covering the entire Western Railway Mining Line, the project scope encompasses the design, procurement, construction, commissioning, trial operation testing, and operations and maintenance staff training for the communication, signaling and power supply systems along the full line.
Situated deep within the Sahara Desert—the world's largest desert—the project faces complex conditions along the route, including extreme heat, intense solar radiation, water scarcity, wind-blown sand intrusion, and long-distance transportation challenges. With its proven expertise in desert railway construction, CRCC has successfully resolved the worldwide challenge of wind-blown sand hazards in railway engineering on the Taklamakan Desert—the world's second-largest shifting desert—by adopting targeted protection measures such as bridges replacing embankments, combined vegetation and engineering protection, and purely engineering-based protection. This culminated in the successful completion of the world's first railway line encircling a desert—the Taklamakan Desert Ring Railway. Given the project's long alignment, widely distributed equipment, and large maintenance radius, CRCC will fully leverage its professional strengths in the complete railway industry chain, system integration, and engineering construction under complex environments to coordinate the integrated design, equipment selection, and environmental adaptability research of the communication, signaling and power supply systems, continuously enhancing the safety and reliability of railway operations under extreme climatic conditions.
Throughout the process, the Chinese and Algerian parties will also work through joint construction, professional training, and technical exchanges to cultivate a pool of local professionals familiar with the construction, operations and maintenance of railway communication, signaling and power supply systems, promote the sharing of technical expertise and local capacity building, and achieve coordinated progress in engineering construction, talent development, and industrial growth. Upon completion, the project will deliver a railway communication network, train operation command and safety control system, and a stable and reliable power supply framework covering the entire line, further improving railway transport organization efficiency and safety assurance capabilities, while providing strong support for the development of the Gara Djebilet iron ore resources and the diversified growth of Algeria's economy.