APS : Monday, 11 April 2016
ANNABA-A first batch of 98 “Coradia” inter-city trains will be assembled by the plant in charge of Annaba tramways assembling and maintenance (CITAL-Annaba) in accordance with an Algerian-French framework agreement for the extension of this plant’s activities, according to a statement released Monday by this company.
The delivery of this first batch of Coradia trains is expected in 2019, according to the statement which stated that this agreement has been inked Sunday in Algiers during the 3rd session of the Algeria-French joint committee.
The agreement provides for the extension of CITAL’s activity to engineering, production and maintenance of main lines trains is the result of a partnership between the National Company for Railway Transport (SNTF), Metro of Algiers Company (EMA), The Company for construction of railway materials and equipment (Ferrovial) and the French company ALSTOM.
This investment will create 270 direct jobs and many indirect jobs, the communiqué said, adding that in accordance with this agreement, ALSTOM ensures training and technology transfer at the CITAL-Annaba plant, which will be able to produce one train per month.
This partnership is also part of a plan meant to broaden the Algerian railway network from 3.000 km to 12.500 km by 2025, and favour the emergence of an excellence railway area.
CITAL plant was inaugurated in May 2015 part of an Algerian-French partnership.
