The Ghar Jbeilat-Tindouf railway line Bashar… President Tebboune inaugurates the Project of the Century – Algerian Al-Hiwar newspaper

“Dialogue” envoy to Bashar: Jamal Manas

Meanwhile, the President of the Republic, Abdelmadjid Tebboune, arrived in the state of Béchar to supervise the inauguration of the railway line, Ghar Jbeilat, Tindouf, Bchar. Before that, President Tebboune will go to the train station in Béchar to receive two trains, the first to transport passengers coming from the state of Tindouf towards Oran, and the second loaded with the first shipments of iron ore extracted from the Gara Jbeilat mine towards Bchar, before being directed to Oran in the west of the country, a total distance of approximately 950 km. Speech, and with this step, which is the first since independence, Algeria is entering a new phase in the field of mining after more than four decades of disruption in this vital sector, which will make Algeria a leading country in the production of iron and steel thanks to this historic achievement, which is considered the “Project of the Century.”

The President of the Republic made a statement last November 24, in which he talked about organizing a ceremony that he described as historic in the state of Béchar, on the occasion of the arrival of iron shipments from Gara Jbeilat via the Tindouf-Béchar mining railway line, in a precedent that is the first of its kind since 1962. The line, which extends over a distance of approximately one thousand kilometers, was completed in a time frame not exceeding a year and a half, and represents the decisive link that brought the project out of the circle of postponed studies and into the stage of exploitation.

Iron ore production is expected to range between two million and four million tons annually in the second phase, and to rise to 50 million tons annually in the third phase, which could provide annual revenues of approximately four billion dollars, especially with the ore being directed to industrial transformation locally instead of being exported as a raw material.

Last November, the Council of Ministers approved the establishment of new iron ore processing plants in Tindouf, Bechar and Naama, along the railway line, within the framework of local and international partnerships to produce and valorize iron concentrates. It is expected that the mine line will contribute to significantly reducing the cost of transportation, raising the competitiveness of the national product, and linking the mine directly to the industrial network, including steel factories, automobiles, and home electrical industries.

Operationally, technical data indicate that the train designated for transporting crude exceeds two kilometers in length, and consists of four locomotives and 170 wagons, with a total load of up to 17 thousand tons per trip, with an operating program of approximately ten trips per day, which gives the project a regular economic and logistical dimension.

In addition to the economic dimension, the project carries geographical, commercial and security dimensions. It contributes to breaking the isolation of the southwest, stimulating local trade, and opening new export outlets to Mauritania and West Africa, especially through the road being completed between Tindouf and Zouerate, at a distance of 701 kilometers.

With this inauguration, the Gara Jbeilat mine moves from the “sleeping giant” to the productive resource, and Algeria enters a new phase in the path of economic diversification, based on mining, industrial transformation, and sovereign control of transport and export chains.