Desert Steel Artery: Africa’s First Heavy Haul Railway Completed – A New Model of China-Africa Cooperation

On July 7, 2025, the 135-kilometer priority section of the Western Railway and Mining Line project in Algeria, constructed by China Railway Construction Corporation, was officially completed, marking a breakthrough in the construction of Africa’s first heavy haul railway in the desert. This milestone not only sets a new record in Africa’s railway construction history but also injects strong impetus into the “New Algeria” national vision with “Chinese speed” and “Chinese standards”. As a landmark project of China-Africa cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative, this steel artery that traverses the “Sea of Death” carries the hope of resource development, the dream of regional connectivity, and the ambition of development transformation, rewriting the transportation pattern and economic landscape of North Africa.

Engineering Miracle across the Sahara: Technological Breakthroughs Set New Standards for Desert Railways

“Building a heavy haul railway on shifting sand dunes is like erecting a steel skeleton on tofu,” said a Chinese engineer involved in the project, describing the construction difficulty. The Western Railway and Mining Line project in Algeria is 575 kilometers long, connecting Béchar Province with the Garra Djebilet iron ore mining area in Tindouf Province, and runs through the extreme environment of the western Sahara Desert, facing global challenges such as large temperature differences, strong winds and sand, and complex geology. The project team creatively adopted a “deep integration of Chinese and Algerian standards” technical approach, combining China’s mature desert railway construction experience with local conditions, forming the first heavy haul railway standard system in the Algerian desert, setting a new benchmark for heavy haul railway construction in African desert regions. Technological innovations are reflected in every aspect of the project. To address the unstable desert foundation, the construction team developed a “vibration compaction + geogrid” composite foundation treatment technology, increasing the bearing capacity of the roadbed by more than 40%; in response to the rampant wind and sand, the design team drew on the experience of the China-Kazakhstan Railway in preventing wind and sand, innovatively adopting a comprehensive protection system of “sand barriers + vegetation sand fixation”; to adapt to the temperature fluctuation of nearly 50 degrees Celsius between day and night, the project used special steel and elastic fasteners to ensure the stability of the track structure. Behind these technological breakthroughs lies the creative transformation of the valuable experience accumulated by China Railway Construction Corporation in projects such as the Hotan-Ruoqiang Railway and the Ringing Tarim Desert Railway.

Intelligent construction has become the key support for the efficient advancement of the project. The project team introduced advanced Chinese track-laying and welding technologies, built an intelligent sleeper production plant, and achieved automated operations for sleeper prefabrication and track laying. When Algerian Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure, Rahdoul Rahrouh, inspected the automated track-laying operation, he exclaimed, “Chinese technology makes the impossible possible.” This intelligent transformation has significantly improved construction efficiency – the project set local records of completing 140,000 cubic meters of earthwork, prefabricating 5,200 sleepers, and laying and welding 3 kilometers of track in a single day, redefining the standards of African infrastructure construction with “Chinese speed”. Particularly noteworthy is that the project is designed to have an annual transportation capacity of 40 to 50 million tons, adopting Chinese heavy haul railway technical standards with an axle load of over 30 tons, far exceeding the capacity of ordinary railways. For this purpose, the project team specially developed reinforced rails, high-performance ballast, and special sleeper structures suitable for the desert environment to ensure the safe operation of heavy haul trains. These technological innovations not only solve current engineering problems but also, through the “technology transfer + local training” model, have trained a professional team for desert railway construction in Algeria, achieving a leap from “blood transfusion” to “blood production”.

The Bond between Resources and Development: How One Railway Transforms Regional Economic Geography

“Where the railway extends, the hope of development extends,” said Mustafa Dahou, the governor of Tindouf Province, at the completion ceremony, highlighting the profound value of the Western Railway and Mining Line project. This steel artery will connect the Gara Djebilet iron ore mining area in southwestern Algeria with the northern industrial zones and ports, completely changing the country’s predicament of sitting on a mountain of iron ore but struggling to monetize it.

According to estimates, once the entire line is completed, Algeria’s annual iron ore export volume is expected to increase by over 30 million tons, generating billions of dollars in foreign exchange earnings for the country and becoming a strategic fulcrum for economic diversification in the “post-oil era”. The economic catalytic effect brought about by the railway construction has already begun to manifest. With the completion of the priority section of the track, the Hassi Khelifa sleeper factory in the Tindouf Province and other supporting industrial facilities have successively come into operation, triggering a development boom in local construction materials, logistics, and service industries. The cooperation between China Railway Construction Corporation and the Tindouf Province has extended from the railway sector to the industrial sector, driving the agglomeration of the upstream and downstream industrial chains.

The project has hired over 70% local employees, providing more than 10,000 jobs in total, and through skills training, hundreds of Algerian workers have mastered professional skills such as welding and mechanical operations, leaving behind valuable human resources for the local area. From a broader perspective, this railway will reshape Algeria’s regional development pattern. For a long time, the southwestern part of Algeria has lagged due to poor transportation, and its rich mineral resources have been difficult to convert into economic advantages. After the completion of the western railway mining line, the provinces of Tindouf and Béchar will be integrated into the national railway network, achieving seamless connections between mining areas, industrial zones, and ports, and activating the potential for regional economic development.

As the Algerian Minister of Public Works stated, this project is a “strategic project to change the fate of the southwest, promoting the cluster development of mineral resources, processing and manufacturing, port logistics, and other industries, and adding a new growth pole to Algeria’s economic geography map.” The economic value of the railway extends beyond national borders and has a regional linkage effect. Algeria’s west borders Mauritania, Mali, and other countries, and in the future, the railway network is expected to be further extended, forming a mineral resource transportation corridor spanning the Maghreb region. This prospect aligns with Algeria’s promotion of the African Continental Free Trade Area, upgrading the country from a “geographic crossroads” to a “regional resource hub” and enhancing its strategic position in the entire African economic landscape. Just as the Addis Ababa-Djibouti Railway reshaped the logistics map of East Africa, the western railway mining line is expected to become a new bond for interconnection in North Africa.

Supplier

Luoyang Fonyo Heavy Industries Co., Ltd, founded in 1998,is a manufacturer in railway casting parts. Our factory covers an area of 72,600㎡, with more than 300 employees, 32 technicians, including 5 senior engineers, 11 assistant engineers, and 16 technicians. Our production capacity is 30,000 tons per year. Currently, we mainly produce casting, machining, and assembly for locomotive, railcar, high-speed trains, mining equipment, wind power, etc.
We are the railway parts supply to CRRC(including more than 20 branch companies and subsidiaries of CRRC), Gemac Engineering Machinery, Sanygroup, Citic Heavy Industries, etc. Our products have been exported to Russia, the United States, Germany, Argentina, Japan, France, South Africa, Italy and other countries all over the world.
Contact Information:
Email:sales@railwaypart.com
Mobile:008615515321683