Following on from Constantine (2008), the two gondola lifts in Skikda and Tlemcen have now been handed over to the customer.

The Algerian cities of Skikda and Tlemcen lie almost 800 kilometers apart: Skikda is located on the Algerian coast in the northeast and has 170,000 inhabitants. Tlemcen, in the heart of the Berber region amid the rugged Tell Atlas Mountains in the northwest, has a population of 130,000. Both cities have seen rapid growth. However, the density of buildings and the narrow, winding streets make it difficult to address public transport needs with buses or streetcars without major construction measures.

Alternative to buses and streetcars

From both the political and the financial viewpoint, aerial ropeways provide an alternative that is more easily implemented, particularly as they have long been accepted as a means of public transport in Algeria *1). Space requirements are largely limited to the tower locations and the stations.

Garaventa as general contractor

Garaventa acted as general contractor; the construction work was contracted out to Algerian companies and Algerian architects designed the stations. Construction itself was not without difficulty. Material transport proved to be a particular challenge due to the long waiting times at the port of arrival caused by customs formalities and the fact that transport times from the coast to the interior were difficult to predict.

Difficult installation

Installation was performed using a mobile crane. It was not possible to employ a helicopter as the downwash of the blades would have blown over the flimsily built houses of the “bidonvilles” and scattered the household items which people keep on their flat roofs that serve as patios. Negotiating the winding alleyways of the city centers where the houses are built in very close proximity posed great difficulties when installing the rope. The climate also called for special measures. The evener frame bearings, for example, had to be carefully covered to protect them against airborne sand from the Sahara. – The combination of lubricating oil and sand would act like an abrasive.

Background music and long operating times

The cabin PA system is used to provide background music. The operating times for the lifts are currently from 7 am to 8 pm in Tlemcen and from 7 am to 7 pm in Skikda; nighttime services are extended in the summer. The ropeways are CEN-certified. The contract was awarded by EMA (Entreprise Métro d’Alger), a state-run company. The alignment of both systems is triangular and both have a mid station.

15-MGD Tlemcen
Transport capacity in PPH 1,500
Trip time in min 7.4
Speed in m/s 6
Interval in s 36
Stations 3
Cabins 25
Inclined length in m 1,689
Vertical rise in m 230
Towers 12
Drive Top
Tension Bottom

15-MGD Skikda
Transport capacity in PPH 2,000
Trip time in min 8.3
Speed in m/s 6
Interval in s 27
Stations 3
Cabins 37
Inclined length in m 1,985
Vertical rise in m 27.5
Towers 10
Drive Top
Tension Bottom

1) Garaventa handed over a gondola lift for public transport in Constantine in 2008.