The Algiers-Skikda line is one of the two trunk lines in the

Algeria ) , image_map = Algeria (centered orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Algiers , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , religi ...

n railway network, the other being the

Algiers-Oran line The Algiers-Oran line is one of the major components of the Algerian railway network. It links Algiers station with Oran. The first segment of the line, connecting Algiers with Blida opened on September 8, 1862 and was extended to Oran on May 1, ...

. The line hosts passenger services connecting

Algiers station Algiers station (french: Gare d'Alger, ar, محطة قطار الجزائر) is a railway station located in the city of Algiers, at the port, sea front and the Kasbah of Algiers. The inhabitants of downtown Algiers and the Kasbah and its doors ...

with either

Annaba Annaba ( ar, عنّابة, "Place of the Jujubes"; ber, Aânavaen), formerly known as Bon, Bona and Bône, is a seaport city in the northeastern corner of Algeria, close to the border with Tunisia. Annaba is near the small Seybouse Ri ...

Constantine Constantine most often refers to: * Constantine the Great, Roman emperor from 306 to 337, also known as Constantine I *Constantine, Algeria, a city in Algeria Constantine may also refer to: People * Constantine (name), a masculine given nam ...

, the two largest cities in eastern Algeria. The first segment of the line connected Constantine to the port of

Skikda Skikda ( ar, سكيكدة; formerly Philippeville from 1838 to 1962 and Rusicade in ancient times) is a city in northeastern Algeria and a port on the Mediterranean. It is the capital of Skikda Province and Skikda District. History The Phoeni ...

and opened on September 1, 1870, remaining isolated from the remainder of the Algerian network until the opening of the Algiers-Constantine segment in 1879 and further extensions on November 3, 1886.

Line description

Algiers-Thénia section

The 53.5 kilometer section between Algiers and

Thénia Thénia (), sometimes written as ''Thenia'', with around 40,000 inhabitants, is the chief town in the daïra of the same name, in the wilaya of Boumerdès, in northern Algeria. Historically, the name is a contraction of ''Theniet Beni Aicha'' ...

includes 10 kilometers shared with the

from Algiers station to the

El Harrach El Harrach ( Berber: ⵍⵃⴻⵔⵔⴰⵛ , formerly ''Maison-Carrée'') is a suburb of the Algerian capital Algiers. The town is home to USM El Harrach Union Sportive de la Médina d'El Harrach ( ar, الإتحاد الرياضي لمدي ...

wye. This segment has been electrified in 2009 (25,000 volt) and is double-track. Further upgrades are being applied to the line.Mise en service du tunnel d'El Achir. Un ouvrage de plus de 500 mètres, l'Expression, 2 juin 2002
/ref> 130 daily passenger trains use the portion shared with the Algiers-Oran line, while 63 trains a day continue east on further parts of the line.

Commuter rail Commuter rail, or suburban rail, is a passenger rail transport service that primarily operates within a metropolitan area, connecting commuters to a central city from adjacent suburbs or commuter towns. Generally commuter rail systems are co ...

services using this portion of the Algiers-Skikda line connect Algiers to

Houari Boumediene Airport Houari Boumediene International Airport ( ar, مطار هواري بومدين الدولي, Maṭār Hawwārī Būmadyan al-Duwaliyy) , also known as Algiers Airport or Algiers International Airport, is the main international airport serving ...

and Thénia, among others.

Thénia-Constantine section

The Thénia-

is not electrified and is single track from Thénia to

Bordj Bou Arréridj Bordj Bou Arréridj ( ar, برج بوعريريج) is the capital city of Bordj Bou Arréridj Province, Algeria. According to the 2008 estimation, its population was 168,346. It is situated 148 miles by road east of Algiers, near the Hodna Massi ...

and from

Ramdane Djamel Ramdane Djamel is a town and commune in Skikda Province in north-eastern Algeria. The town is home to football club WA Ramdane Djamel, which currently plays in the Ligue Nationale du Football Amateur Ligue Nationale du Football Amateur commonl ...

to Skikda. The portion between

Sétif Sétif ( ar, سطيف, ber, Sṭif) is the capital of the Sétif Province in Algeria. It is one of the most important cities of eastern Algeria and the country as a whole, since it is considered the trade capital of the country. It is an inner ci ...

and the town of El Guerrah (in the municipality of

Ouled Rahmoun Ouled Rahmoun is a town and commune in Constantine Province, Algeria ) , image_map = Algeria (centered orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Algiers ...

) is being upgraded by

SNTF The National Rail Transportation Company (french: Société Nationale des Transports Ferroviaires, abbreviated SNTF; ar, الشركة الوطنية للنّقل بالسّكك الحديدية) is Algeria's national railway operator. The SNTF ...

Services

One day train connects Algiers and Constantine in 7 hours while a night train connects Algiers and Annaba. The namesake of this line, Skikda, is not served by passenger services anymore, requiring passengers to connect at the nearby

station. Regional services connect Algiers to

Béjaïa Béjaïa (; ; ar, بجاية‎, Latn, ar, Bijāya, ; kab, Bgayet, Vgayet), formerly Bougie and Bugia, is a Mediterranean port city and commune on the Gulf of Béjaïa in Algeria; it is the capital of Béjaïa Province, Kabylia. Béjaïa is ...

(via the

Béni Mansour-Bejaïa line The Béni Mansour-Béjaïa line is an Algerian railway connecting the Soummam River valley to the Algiers-Skikda line over 88 kilometers. The line was opened in full in 1899. History During French Algeria, plans were made to connect Béjai ...

), and

M'Sila, Algeria M'sila (also spelled Msila) ( ar, المسيلة); is the capital of M'Sila Province, Algeria, and is co-extensive with M'sila District. It has a population of 132,975 as per the 2008 census. M'sila University is also located in this city. His ...

Speeds

Passenger services on this line operate at speeds of 70–80 km/h. The Bordj Bou Arreridj-Sétif segment sees trains reaching 100 km/h.

References

{{Reflist Railway lines in Algeria