Algeria
Algeria is the largest country in Africa and the tenth largest in the world, spanning 2,381,741 km² with about 46 million people. It borders Tunisia and Libya to the east, Niger, Mali and Mauritania to the south, and Morocco and Western Sahara to the west, with a long Mediterranean coast to the north. Almost everyone lives on that coastal strip and in the Tell Atlas behind it; south of the Saharan Atlas the country becomes desert, and the desert is more than four-fifths of it.
The railway reflects that geography exactly. The trunk routes run east and west along the populated north — Algiers to Oran, opened in 1871, and Algiers towards Skikda from 1886 — while a handful of long north–south lines strike inland towards the Sahara, notably Oued Tlelat to Béchar and El Guerrah to Touggourt. What is unusual is the direction of travel: Algeria has spent decades rebuilding and reopening old lines rather than closing them, and is still laying new ones. The largest of them opened on 1 February 2026 — 950 kilometres of new standard-gauge railway from Béchar to the iron-ore body at Gara Djebilet, laid in two years and carrying passengers as well as ore.
Rail journeys in Algeria
Good to know
Where does the Algerian railway go?
Mostly along the north. The long-distance lines are Algiers–Oran (1871) and Algiers–Skikda (1886), with regional routes serving Béjaïa, Annaba, Jijel and the Kabylie. Running south, Oued Tlelat–Béchar (1906, rebuilt 2010) and El Guerrah–Touggourt (1914) reach towards the Sahara, and a line to Laghouat opened in 2023.
Is the network shrinking or growing?
Growing, which makes Algeria unusual in Africa. Several lines have been rebuilt rather than abandoned — Es Senia–Béni Saf, first opened in 1885, was reconstructed between 1985 and 2015; Thénia–Oued Aïssi of 1888 was rebuilt in 2010 — and entirely new construction reached Laghouat in 2023. High-plateau and commuter lines have been added around Algiers and Oran.
Is there a rail pass for Algeria?
No. Algeria is outside the Interrail and Eurail areas, so travel is on ordinary tickets bought from SNTF. Fares are low.
Can you cross the Sahara by train in Algeria?
As far as Tindouf, yes, and only since 2026. The Béchar to Tindouf train runs daily in each direction over the new Saharan line, leaving at 08:00 and arriving at 19:20 — eleven hours and twenty minutes and about 810 kilometres, with stops at Abadla, Hammaguir, Tabelbala, Hassi Khebi and Oum El Assel. Béchar is reached overnight from Oran, so the trip from the coast takes two nights.
How reliable is published information about Algerian services?
Harder to come by than in Europe, and worth treating carefully. SNTF's own website could not be reached from outside the country while this page was written, so times and fares here come from the Algerian press quoting the company. Neighbouring operators in North Africa publish in awkward formats too — Tunisia's timetable, for instance, as an image file — so the station counter is often the last word.