Alstom and EMA Inaugurate the Tramway System of the City of Ouargla in Algeria

Mr Abdelghani Zaalane, Algerian Minister of Public Works and Transport, today inaugurated the first tramway system of the city of Ouargla. The event was attended by Mr Kouraba Mostafa, Managing Director of EMA (Entreprise Métro d’Alger) and Henri Bussery, Managing Director of Alstom Algeria.

Alstom and CITAL[1], its joint venture in Algeria, won a contract in September 2013 for the supply of a tramway system including 23 Citadis trams, signalling, traction substations, telecommunication systems, operational support, maintenance equipment and ticketing. The new line connects the city of Ouargla and its new areas, via the city centre and Ouargla’s universities, on a route 9.7 kilometres long and comprising 16 passenger stations.

"Alstom is proud to celebrate the entry into commercial service of Ouargla’s tramway line with its customer EMA. Algeria’s first desert tramway system illustrates Alstom's strategy of offering complete solutions tailored to local requirements, while demonstrating the best in technical performance," said Henri Bussery, Managing Director of Alstom Algeria.

Nearly 44 metres long, the Citadis tram for Ouargla is capable of transporting over 400 passengers. To accommodate the climatic conditions of the region, in particular sandstorms and high temperatures, significant technical modifications were made to the tram. The air conditioning system was reinforced, the windows equipped with a solar protection film, the traction and braking systems were modified for greater impermeability, and exposed parts (joints, shock absorbers and pantograph) were protected.

The Citadis trams are assembled by CITAL at the Annaba plant in Algeria. Alstom’s sites in France involved in the project are: Saint-Ouen (maintenance and ticketing equipment), La Rochelle (design and validation), Le Creusot (bogie design and manufacture), Tarbes (design and manufacture of the traction equipment) and Villeurbanne (design and manufacture of on-board electronic equipment and the passenger information system). The Alstom sites of Barcelona and Madrid in Spain are also involved. The teams in Algeria are responsible for the project management.

Alstom has been present in Algeria for more than 30 years, with over 300 employees in the country. Alstom has already provided integrated tramway systems to the cities of Algiers, Oran and Constantine, as well as the infrastructure for the tramway systems of Mostaganem and Sétif.