After having been talked about for two decades, the Sfax tram project is about to get under way. In May, Societe du Metro Leger de Sfax (SMLS), which was set up in mid-2016 to manage the project, will receive bids from companies interested in carrying out detailed studies of the definitive route network. Financed by the European Investment Bank (EIB), this contract will enable SMLS to define its needs prior to issuing a tender call for the contract for the construction of rolling stock. The number of trams being talked about is around 20. Several companies are interested in supplying the trams, including Spain’s CAF and Korea’s Hyundai Rotem, which was last-minute victor in the bidding for the Tunis RFR rail network. France’s Alstom group is also planning to bid via Cital, its joint venture with Algerian public sector companies Ferrovial and Entreprise Metro d’Alger. Its plant is situated in Annaba, not far from Tunis, which would make it easier to transport the trams cross-borders.
In the photo: the light rail line in Tunis
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