Line D of the ‘Réseau Ferroviaire Rapide’ (RFR), the rapid rail network in Tunisia’s capital Tunis, was inaugurated on Saturday 25 January 2025, marking for SYSTRA the completion of the first phase of this inter-city rail network.
Thanks to line D of the RFR, the journey between the centre of Tunis and the town of Gobâa now takes just a quarter of an hour, compared with 4 to 5 times as long previously by bus. SYSTRA was responsible for the project management of this major project at every stage. With more than 10,000 passengers transported on the first day, this new suburban link will help to relieve congestion around Tunis and contribute to reducing pollutant emissions from transport.
After 10 days of testing and validation and 20 days of trial runs, the line was put into service in the presence of Tunisian Transport Minister Rachid Amri, French Ambassador Anne Guéguen, European Union Ambassador Giuseppe Perrone and representatives of the project’s main financiers (AFD, BEI, KFW).
Michel Aribi, RFR project director, SYSTRA Tunisia: “Throughout the project, we were able to count on the confidence of our Tunisian client, who followed the recommendations of our initial studies. Our assignment will continue until 2027, with possible future prospects if new lines are added to the network.”
Faiçal Chaabane, Senior Vice President Egypt and North Africa: “I would like to thank the teams involved in the Tunis RFR for their commitment. This rail network is a concrete and effective solution for reducing congestion in the Tunisian capital and is becoming a new key reference for SYSTRA in North Africa. We look forward to participating in projects in the coming years that will have such a major impact on the daily lives of Tunisians.”
SYSTRA’s teams have been in charge of all aspects of the project, including monitoring and supervising all phases of the construction of Line D, since 2010. SYSTRA experts are on site at all times, working alongside their local partner Studi.
