Stretching 950 km, the western mining railway line (Bechar-Beni Abbes-Tindouf-Gara Djebilet) serves as a strategic transport hub providing rapid, efficient access to African markets via Tindouf, emphasized Youcef Ghazi, President of the Algeria-Mauritania Business Council.
Officially inaugurated in Béchar last Sunday by the President of the Republic, Abdelmadjid Tebboune, this strategic line establishes a new gateway to West Africa. By extending the national rail network to Tindouf, the project provides modern infrastructure for public and private economic operators, allowing national products to reach the Algeria-Mauritania border and West African destinations at significantly lower costs, Ghazi noted.
He added that the line will also end the isolation of several southwestern regions. By linking these areas to northern ports, iron and steel industrial complexes, and the national rail grid, the project represents a historic milestone for both regional and national development.
Furthermore, the railway is designed to underpin the coordinated growth of the future Free Trade Zone in Tindouf, the foundation stone of which was laid in February 2024 by President Tebboune and his Mauritanian counterpart, Mohamed Ould Sheikh El Ghazouani.
The initiative also aims to revitalize trade exchanges between Algeria and Mauritania, as well as the broader West African region, noted Ghazi, who also serves as President of the Saoura Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Bechar).
This special economic zone will be further reinforced by the 800 km road currently under construction between Tindouf and Zouerat, Mauritania a project expected to boost Algerian exports and encourage cross-border investment for the benefit of both countries, the official stated.
According to the same source, the railway’s proximity to the Mauritanian border is expected to foster bilateral tradewhile strengthening economic integration with West African countries.
