Algeria’s Enterprise Metro d’Alger (Ema) is inviting consultants to submit bids by 3 April for the preliminary design and supervision of construction contracts for two new tram lines in Algeria.

The first tram line will be built in the town of Setif and the second tram line will be built in Annaba.  Each tramway will run for a minimum of five kilometres.

Setif is in north-east Algeria, about 305km east of Algiers. Annaba is further east close to Algeria’s border with Tunisia.

Algeria has a number of tramway projects under way. Companies submitted bids in December 2010 for the operating concession of Algiers’ tramway $320m Eastern line. The first phase of the Eastern line of the tramway will be 16.3km long and will have 30 stations. It will be integrated with Line 1 of Algiers metro. The tramway will serve the area to the east of Algiers, from the Carrefour des Fusilles (Hussein Dey) to the centre of Dergana close to the airport. The expected passenger traffic of the tramway network will be 150,000 passengers a day.

A 12km tram project is also planned for Mostaganem. Algeria is investing heavily in developing its transport infrastructure, particularly tramways. The government has a budget of $30bn to be spent on transport development up until 2014.