2011: The Launch of a Rapid Transit System in Algeria’s Capital City

October 31, 2011

A rapid transit system in Algiers, the largest city and capital of the People’s Democratic Republic of Algeria, was inaugurated. This system was officially opened by Abdelaziz Bouteflika (1937-2021), Algeria’s president from 1999 to 2019. The Algiers Metro became the second rapid transit system in Africa to go into service. (The first of these systems was the Cairo Metro serving the metropolitan area of Egypt’s capital city; it opened in 1987.)

At the time of its debut, the Algiers Metro covered a total of 5.7 miles (9.2 kilometers) and encompassed 10 stations. This system now measures 11.5 miles (18.5 kilometers) in length and has 19 stations altogether.

Photo Credit: Yelles (licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license at https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en)

For more information on the opening of the Algiers Metro, please check out https://www.railwaygazette.com/alger-metro-inaugurated/36403.article