CITAL, a joint-venture (JV) composed of Alstom, EMA (Entreprise du métro d’Alger) and Ferrovial, celebrated the inauguration of its Citadis tramway assembly and maintenance site in Annaba, Algeria.

Created in 2011 to assemble and maintain the Alstom Citadis trams for Algerian cities, CITAL supports the industrialization of the country and boosts the local economy. To date, the JV counts about 200 employees of which 90 are based in Annaba and the others across the country to maintain the Citadis trams already in service in the cities of Algiers, Oran and Constantine.

With more than 210 Citadis trams to be assembled in Annaba for cities like Constantine, Oran, Ouargla, Mostaganem, Sidi Bel Abbes, Setif, Batna and Annaba, CITAL will recruit hundreds of new employees. The site is able to assemble five trams per month. As of today, 20 trams have already been assembled.

On the same day, CITAL also announced the prolongation of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), which was signed in December 2014, regarding CITAL’s activities extension to the engineering, manufacturing and maintenance of intercity trains for Algeria as well as the entry of SNTF as a new shareholder of the JV.

This new phase enables to mature the project. This MoU reflects the strong will of the Algerian Government to pursue the development of the national industry, making Annaba the center of excellence for serving the rail industry.