Residents of Algiers now have their choice of two new public transport systems operating in the city, one of which is expected to eventually be extended to the suburbs and beyond.
It was a historic occasion on November 1 - almost 30 years after ground was first broken for its construction - when Algiers' metro line transported its first trainload of people. The $1.2bn, 10-station system, which connects Algiers' Central Post Office to the suburb of Kouba, is operated by a subsidiary of France's Régie Autonome des Transports Parisiens (RATP) called RATP-El-Djazaïr.
Algiers, a hilly city of approximately 2.7m people, has until now been served only by a bus network and four cable cars. Now, the newly opened Algiers metro has opened up additional possibilities for faster travel. Though some in the Algerian capital have complained that the AD50 (€0.50) price per journey is too high, it is likely that residents and commuters will be willing to pay this price to escape the congested city's gridlock. Indeed, during rush hour the metro is expected to transport some 25,000 people per hour, in the hope that this will also reduce the number of cars on the city's streets.
The metro has been in the making for some time. The 9.5-km line began in 1982, but shuddered to a halt soon after, a victim of economic crisis and civil unrest. When the project was relaunched in 2006, construction was awarded to a consortium that included German global conglomerate Siemens, Spanish firm Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles (CAF) and French company Vinci Construction.
The consortium leader, Siemens Transportation Systems France, was responsible for the overall project management; CAF was in charge of the rolling stock supply; and Vinci Construction Grand Projects was responsible for the building of the metro stations, tunnel ventilation and the administration building and depot.
The rolling stock supplied by CAF is composed of 14 trains of six cars each. The aluminium units are electric and self-propelled, with a maximum speed of 72 km per hour, and the network uses Siemens' Trainguard MT CBTC automation technology.
The system has also made a concerted effort to address security concerns. Because subway systems can be prime targets for terrorists, the Algiers metro also comes equipped with 244 video cameras and explosives detectors. In addition, 400 police officers specially trained in France are supervising and policing the system.
The Algiers metro complements the city's newly opened tramway, which was itself subject to a two-year delay. Ordered by the Entreprise du Métro D'Alger (EMA), construction of the AD35bn (€349m) light rail network is taking place in stages, with the first 7.2-km stretch having begun service on May 8.
This first line of the tramway consists of 13 stations and 12 trains running between two densely populated eastern neighbourhoods, the districts of Bab Ezzouar and Bordj el Kiffan. The tramway is expected to transport between 10,000 and 15,000 people per day at a price of AD20 (€0.20) per ticket.
When construction is complete, the tramway system will have 38 stations and cover 23 km in total, running between the country's second-largest city, Oran, on the west coast and Constantine in the east.
The contract to build the tram system was granted in 2006 to a consortium including French group Alstom, the Italian manufacturer Todini and Algerian group ETRHB. Alstom Transport is manufacturing the tramway system works for Algiers and Oran as turnkey systems. These can be customised to include everything from the rolling stock - Citadis - to the operating system, signalling, telecommunications, ticketing, the depot and sub-stations, the track and electric power. Alstom will also be responsible for maintaining the tramway system equipment and the Citadis train sets for 10 years.
Alstom delivered the two first Citadis train sets for Constantine's tramway line in late September. When complete, the 8-km track will connect the city centre with Zouaghi in the south of the city. Alstom has also delivered 30 Citadis train sets to Oran and is set to deliver the remaining two last train sets of the 41-strong Citadis fleet to Algiers soon.
While the country awaits the completion of the delayed and controversial East-West Highway - a $12bn construction project of colossal proportions meant to connect Algeria's cities, including Algiers, Constantine and Oran, as well as connect it to Libya, Tunisia, Morocco and Mauritania as part of the Autoroute Transmaghrébhine - the public transport solutions that the tramway and the metro line represent should take some pressure off the country's transportation woes.
The arrival of speedy, efficient public transport is thus set to transform not just Algiers but the entire stretch of Algeria that lies along the Mediterranean, reducing congestion as well as replacing taxis and private cars as a primary mode of passenger transportation in urban centres.
© Oxford Business Group 2011
