Skip to main content

Siemens to automate railway network in Algiers metropolitan area

Siemens is to supply the signalling, safety and control systems for the 140 km long-distance rail network in the Algiers metropolitan area. The order will be carried out by Estel RA, a joint venture of state-run Algerian Railways SNTF (Société Nationale des Transports Ferroviaires) and Siemens.
December 23, 2015 Read time: 2 mins

189 Siemens is to supply the signalling, safety and control systems for the 140 km long-distance rail network in the Algiers metropolitan area. The order will be carried out by Estel RA, a joint venture of state-run Algerian Railways SNTF (Société Nationale des Transports Ferroviaires) and Siemens.

With over three million inhabitants, Algiers is the country's largest city and, at the same time, Algeria's most important transport hub. Expanding the railway network is designed to shift traffic from road to rail, thus reducing the daily congestion in the greater Algiers area and improving the mobility of the city's inhabitants.

Network commissioning is planned for the end of 2019. The railway network includes 18 stations and is designed for both goods and passenger transport. It is to be equipped with signalling, safety and control systems, as well as shunting and telecommunications technology. Siemens is supplying the first expansion stage of the ETCS European Train Control System. This permits speeds of up to 160 km/h and enables trains to travel at shorter intervals, thus increasing so-called throughput. Siemens is supplying automated shunting equipment for the freight line which will optimise goods handling with modern cargo technology. In addition, the Algerian rail operator personnel will receive training in how to operate and maintain the new system.

"As rail automation market leaders, we are supplying state-of-the-art technology to Algeria: cross-border rail services at up to 160 km/h for passengers and freight, shorter headways and greater line utilisation", says Jochen Eickholt, CEO of the Mobility Division at Siemens.

Related Content

  • June 20, 2016
    Thales builds on Canadian connection for transit R&D
    The Canadian province of Ontario is continuing to benefit from its ongoing investment in transit R&D. David Crawford looks at the impact of new investment. Developing the next generation of urban rail signalling solutions worldwide, with the emphasis on transit security and efficiency, is the goal of a recently-created business partnership between the government of the Canadian province of Ontario and Thales Canada. The wholly-owned subsidiary of the France-HQ'd global defence, aerospace and transportation
  • August 8, 2013
    Siemens station management system for Hong Kong metro
    Siemens is to supply the IT and communication technology for Hong Kong's East-West Line. The order, worth around US$39.92 million, from local metro operator MTR Corporation, includes the supply of the station management system, which controls and monitors functions such as emergency call points, traction power supply, tunnel ventilation, overhead line fire detection, passenger information systems and escalators. Hong Kong's East-West Line is being created by connecting the West Rail Line to the Ma On Shan L
  • August 5, 2016
    Network Rail successfully tests new trains using advanced ‘in-cab’ signalling system
    An advanced signalling system that will allow trains to travel every two to three minutes through central London was successfully tested using Govia Thameslink Railway’s new Siemens Class 700 trains for the first time. The Thameslink Programme, part of Network Rail’s Railway Upgrade Plan to provide a bigger, better, more reliable railway for passengers and businesses, achieved another milestone in the early hours of Saturday morning as it successfully ran a Class 700 train through the central London ‘cor
  • May 15, 2017
    Riyadh aims to build world’s biggest public transport system in five years
    The City of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, is building the world's largest public transit system --- in just five years. It will be presenting the project at the Palais des Congrès, in Montreal, Quebec, during the global summit of the Union Internationale des Transports Publics (UITP), this week. Managed by The High Commission for the Development of Arriyadh (HCDA), the project includes six metro lines covering 176 km and 85 stations, in addition to 24 bus routes covering 1,900 km and 3,000 stations and stops. At a