The new electrified dual-track railway from Oued Tlélat to the Moroccan border is 200 km long and includes 12 tunnels. Its route is divided in three sections: Oued Tlélat-Sidi Bel Abbès, Sidi Bel Abbès-Tlemcen and Tlemcen-Moroccan border. In June 2007, ANESRIF - the national agency for railway investments - awarded a DZD143.4 billion contract with a duration of 39 months to the Italian joint venture of Condotte (leader) and Rizzani de Eccher to construct the Oued Tlélat-Sidi Bel Abbès-Tlemcen section (130 km). A group of companies headed by TPF PLANEGE in partnership with Getinsa and Saeti was appointed in March 2008 to carry out the control and supervision of the studies, procurement and construction of this section. Their contract is worth DZD2.6 billion. Visit www.condotte.it, www.rizzanideeccher.com, www.planege.pt, www.getinsa.es, www.saeti-dz.com and www.anesrif.dzBetween chainage 95 and chainage 130 near Tlemcen, three tunnels will be constructed (570 m, 360 m and 650 m going from east to west), for a total length of 1,580 metres. The first and third tunnels will be bored in dolomitic limestone and Upper Jurassic dolomites. The rock mass appears to be little to averagely fractured and often weathered. The second tunnel crosses dolomites with intercalations of tectonic breccias and rauhwacke. The bedrock is fractured to very weathered. Altogether, there are seven typical cross-sections (B, C1, C2, C3, F, F* and G). According to the cross-section type, drilling and blasting will be used as well as hydraulic hammers and roadheaders. For ground reinforcement, different techniques will be employed, like Swellex Mn24 type bolts, forepoling, glass fibre nails, fibre-reinforced shotcrete, steel arches, welded mesh and netting. The top heading, benches and invert will be lined with reinforced or unreinforced concrete, with thicknesses ranging from 50 cm to 120 cm. 39/08.
The Algerian government, through Anesrif (Agence National de Etudes et Suivi de Realisations des Investissements Ferroviaires), has awarded FCC, in consortium with Algerian Groupe ETRHB HADDAD, a EUR1.232 billion contract to build 66 km of railway line from Tlemcen, 500 km west of Algiers, to Akkid Abbas and forming part of the planned line connecting Oued Tlelat to the Moroccan border. This segment of line must be built in 48 months. The first two-thirds of the route, in western Algeria, crosses quite abrupt terrain and will require the construction of 34 viaducts and nine tunnels, accounting for over 30% of the total length of this section. The project is for a double-tracked electrified line for a maximum rated speed of 220 km/h, and the contract includes signalling and telecommunications systems. Visit www.anesrif.dz, www.fcc.es and www.etrhb.com. 12/11.