Libyan Railway Projects

Analysis

The construction of a national railway has been a goal of the Libyan Government since the closure of the old railway in 1965. Since 1998, the Libyan Government has been planning for a 3170km 1435mm (4ft 8 1⁄2in) standard gauge network. The network is to stretch along the length of Libya's Mediterranean coast from Tunisia to Egypt, extending from the western city of Ras Jdeir (at the Libyan Tunisian border) to Imsaid in the west (at the Libyan Egyptian border) with a total coastal length of 2178 km. The network would extend southwards to a length of 992km.

As a firm commitment towards the implementation of the railway project, the Libyan Railroads Execution and Management Board (LREMB) was created by Libya Law No. 14/2003 to oversee and implement the railway projects in Libya.

The railway network is to cover:

• Ras Jdeir-Tripoli

• Tripoli-Sirte

• Sirte-Benghazi

• Benghazi-Imsaid

• Al Heesha-Sabha

Network specifications

Total length of the network 3170km

Ras Jdeir-Sirte 650km

Al Heesha-Sabha 810km

Sirte-Benghazi 554km

Benghazi - Imsaid 700km

Number of stations 75

Number of tunnels 168

Number of culverts 2312

Earthworks 161 million cubic metres

Number of trains 244