Libya railway

[John Ashworth]

1. The following was taken from the Yahoo-group World-Diesel-Locos and reposted on the sar-L ( http://finance.groups.yahoo.com/group/s ... sage/21110 ). It is now reposted here:

In fact Libya has currently 0 km of operating railways. They had two small narrow gauge networks inherited from Italian colonization times, but all have been closed and dismantled during the mid-1960ties.

In the late 1970ties Libya commenced to plan to build new railways. First with the help from Hungary, then from China and even Sudan, but none of these projects ever materialized. But the shape of network remained until today. After the collapse of the Eastern block Libya commenced again to build its railways (about in 1992), this time first with Indian, then Iranian help, but both failed because they couldn't (or wouldn't) participate financially.

Finally in 1999 the Libyan People's Assembly (as the parliament is called there) decided to build the railways normally by calling for international offers etc. and by taking some credits if the oil dollars would not be sufficient. While the older projects, all prior to 1999, called for a completely electrified double track network, plans have now been reduced to more realistic goals and all lines may be diesel hauled and single track, 1435 mm gauge.

In 2001 construction begun actually on the following lines: Tripoli - Ras Ejdeer (close to Tunisian border) 191 km, opening planned for Dec 31, 2004
Tripoli - Misratah 200 km, opening planned for Dec 31, 2005
Misratah - Sert 264 km, opening planned Dec 31, 2006
Tobruk - Emsaid (close to Egyptian border) 180 km, opening planned for Dec 31, 2006
Sert - Algofra - Sebha 922 km, opening planned for Dec 31, 2006

On all these lines construction begun simultaneously, but soon progress has been very, very different.

The Tripoli - Ras Ejdeer line is nearly complete, even sleepers are laid, but over 50% of rails are missing (at least in May 2007), this line will be mainly a passenger line (passenger services are planned on all lines), only when the connection with Tunisia will one day be a reality, freight will also play a role.

Tripoli - Misratah was long time far behind schedule, but in April 2007 German and Swiss firms sent sleepers, all earthworks is done and 85% of all bridges, buildings are all complete, including station platforms. At Misratah a factory for concrete sleepers is under construction for 4 years now, Swiss, Austrian and German firms have been involved and there was a lot of corruption about this factory.

Misratah - Sert is not well advanced, the last news are from November 2006, when they only commenced with earth movements about 30 km from Sert and just 4 out of 57 bridges have been complete

The Sert - Sebha line is also far from being finnished, apparently most concrete work has been done (buildings, platforms, bridges etc.) but even the embankment is not existing over more than 500 km

Tobruk - Emsaid is relatively advanced, but from the Emsaid end of the line. Egyptian railways already built a track from El Solloum station to Emsaid when the Mersa Matruh - El Solloum line has been repaired several years ago. Later the Libyan Army has cut the track at the border, but this seems to be repaired. Egyptian workers have been hired at several times to work on this line, and about 30% of the line (the Eastern end) is ready for traffic, the situation of the remaining 70% is not known, but it seems not to be well advanced.

The only I know that this year several delivieries of rails have occured at Tripoli port, one of my Tunisian relatives which was there three times for business (but not rail related) observed this and told me that he was told that "this is the future peoples railway of Libya and that rails come from Europe and Asia".

For all the above mentioned lines Libyan Railways put the opening date to 2009 to 2011.

The following lines are planned but works have not yet commenced:
Benghazi - Tobruk, 500 km, the estimated opening date of Dec 31, 2011 has been pushed to 2016
Sert - Benghazi, 519 km, the estimated opening date of Dec 31 2008 has been pushed to 2015

I hope these information may help you a bit.
Cheers
Samuel

FAHRPLANCENTER
Samuel Rachdi
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2. I then put "Libya rail" into Google and came up with this old article from http://www.arabicnews.com/ansub/Daily/D ... 12571.html

China tackles implementing Libyan railway project
Libya-China, Economics, 1/25/2000

It was said in Tripoli yesterday that a joint Chinese - Libyan committee assigned to study the railway project which will link Libya to the African countries.

Ez El-Din El-Henshiri, secretary general of the general Libyan public committee for transportation, discussed during his meeting with the Chinese ambassador in Tripoli, Chai Join, yesterday cooperation relations between the two countries in the field of transportation, especially the Libyan railway project.

Informed sources in the public committee of the general organization for implementing and running the Libyan railways project said these projects extend from Ras Gadir on the borders with Tunisia to Mesad on the border with Egypt and from Syrte city, 450 km east of Tripoli, to Sebha city in southern Libya and from Sebha to the rest of the African countries.

3. And this one from http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m ... i_50258994

A Rail Network For Libya
Railway Age, August, 1998

A RAIL NETWORK FOR LIBYA, which has no railways, is in the advanced planning stages. International tenders are planned for construction of a T-shaped network consisting of a 1,685-mile coastal line from the border with Egypt to the border with Tunisia and a 572-mile line extending into the interior from Misratah to Sabha via Birak.

The system will be built to UIC (International Railway Union) standards and forms part of a master plan to provide an uninterrupted line along the North African coast, Apart from Libya, there is a missing link from the border with Tunisia to the Tunisian railhead at Gabes.

COPYRIGHT 1998 Simmons-Boardman Publishing Corporation
COPYRIGHT 2004 Gale Group