[IMAGE]AlstomAlgiersFULL.jpg[/IMAGE] Last week, Alstom Transport launched the first Citadis tramway tests in Algiers, Algeria.

The goal of the on-track trials is to test the interface between the rolling stock, the catenary system and the track. Traction, braking and speed performance will also be verified. Testing will be conducted along the entire line as construction is completed and will involve each of the Citadis trainsets ordered by the Entreprise du Metro d’Algier (EMA). The test track in the suburbs of Algiers is nearly 1.24 miles long.

The tramway in Algiers, the first city in Algeria to install a modern tram system, is a turnkey project awarded by EMA to Mediterrail, a consortium headed up by Alstom in 2006. The contract includes the production of 41 Citadis tramways and the construction of a 14-mile line with 38 stations. The Algiers tramway will serve the area to the east of Algiers.

EMA awarded Alstom two other major contracts in 2008 for the turnkey tram systems for the city of Oran and Constantine. The three contracts were placed with Alstom under the development program launched by the Algerian government in response to growing demand for public transportation.