Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune on Sunday inaugurated a 950-kilometre railway line linking the Gara Djebilet iron ore mine in the country’s far southwest to Bechar, marking the operational launch of one of Algeria’s largest strategic infrastructure projects since independence.

The president flagged off the first freight train carrying iron ore from the Gara Djebilet deposit, which will be transported by rail via Bechar to northern ports and industrial facilities, including a steel production complex near Oran. Tebboune also chaired a ceremony in Bechar to welcome the inaugural iron ore shipment and earlier received the first passenger train arriving from Tindouf, signalling the full launch of the western mining railway line.

The newly inaugurated line connects Bechar, Beni Abbes, Tindouf and Gara Djebilet, crossing vast desert terrain and forming a key logistics corridor for Algeria’s mining sector. A ministerial delegation had arrived in Tindouf a day earlier to inaugurate the provincial railway station and oversee the first passenger service on the route.

Speaking at the ceremony, Tebboune described the project as “one of the largest strategic projects in the history of independent Algeria.” Financed by the Algerian state and partly built by a Chinese consortium, the railway is expected to significantly boost iron ore extraction and transport capacity, supporting Algeria’s ambition to become a leading steel producer in Africa.