Algeria’s state railway company, the Agence Nationale d’Etudes et de Suivi de la Realisation des Investissements Ferroviaires (Anesrif), has tendered two contracts worth more than $2.5bn for the construction of the Laghouat-Ghardaia-El-Meniaa railway line.

The contract scope covers the construction of 495 kilometres (km) of railway in two sections, the acquisition of rolling stock and other associated works.

The tenders were issued on 25 March, with bids due by 24 May.

The first line will run between Laghouat and Ghardaia, covering 265km. It will include 21 viaducts, one tunnel, 55 pipe crossings and five stations.

The project is split into four sections:

• Section A: Laghouat-Bellil (72.6km)
• Section B: Bellil-Bouzbier (40.4km)
• Section C: Bouzbier-Oued N’chou (69km)
• Section D: Oued N’chou-Metlili (47km)

Passenger trains will operate at up to 220 kilometres per hour (km/h), and freight trains at up to 100km/h. The railway will largely follow national road RN01.

The construction cost of this section is expected to be about $1.4bn.

The second line will run from Ghardaia to El-Meniaa. The 230km railway will start at Metlili station and extend south to El-Meniaa.

The line will serve Mansourah, Hassi Lefhel and El-Meniaa, as well as the planned new town of Hassi El-Gara.

It will comprise six viaducts, 35 railway structures and three stations.

Passenger trains will operate at up to 220km/h, while freight trains will run at up to 100km/h.

This section is expected to cost $1.2bn.

Earlier this month, MEED reported that Anesrif had formally started the procurement process for its multibillion-dollar Laghouat-Ghardaia-El-Meniaa railway project.

International and local firms were given until 8 March to submit expressions of interest for the overall client’s engineer role on the 495km development.

Consultancies were also given until 12 March to bid for two separate contracts covering project supervision and control of the first 265km section between Laghouat and Ghardaia, and the 230km line between Ghardaia and El-Meniaa.

The project received major backing in December last year when the African Development Bank approved a €747.32m ($870m) loan to finance it.

In September last year, MEED reported that Algeria’s Prime Minister, Nadir Larbaoui, had signed an executive decree that “formalised the declaration of public utility of two strategic sections of the future Algiers-Tamanrasset railway line”.