More than 30 years after work first began Algerians can at last catch the metro in the capital. Citizens' pride was plain to see as they finally came face to face with the long awaited achievement.
There were huge crowds on November 1st 2011 the first day of the new Algiers Metro service. Residents rushed into the ten metro stations for their first chance to see and climb aboard the metro trains.
Mr Amar Tou transportation minister of Algiers said that "Algiers Metro operations are run by more than 500 Algerian workers including 10 Algerian ex-pats. There are more than 400 police officers for security."
Joy was visible on the faces of women and children, the young and the old alike as they stormed the stairs leading into the metro. There was much surprise the long awaited metro clearly did not disappoint the people of Algiers. The modern looking blue trains had won their hearts.
Mr Ammi Ali in his fifties had tears in his eyes at the metro opening. It's a great day for me. I'm weeping for joy. I'm so proud especially since today marks the anniversary of the start of the revolution. Yes, the metro has been slow in coming but it's running and that's all that matters."
His joy was shared by Ms Zohra Bouklif mother and white collar worker who said she remembers when construction first started and still has a photo from that time.
Ms Bouklif said that "I'd stopped believing the metro would ever see the light of day. There have been so many delays that we ended up thinking this metro would never come about. Today, I'm proud to be introducing my children to it. I'm so proud to think that Algeria has created something on a par with what you find in the major capital cities."
The smiling people of Algiers captured the first day's operations for posterity as they took photos and videos inside the trains. Many of them made calls to friends, telling them they had just been on the metro.
The entire staff of metro management company RATP was on hand to help guide the people of Algiers through their first encounter with the automatic ticket machines and turnstiles. All of this was amidst a party atmosphere marking the end of years of waiting.
The metro, designed by Spanish construction firm CAF follows a single 8.5 kilometer route across the city of Algiers from the Grand Post Office to Hai El Badr serving ten stations. During rush hour, trains will run every 3 minutes and 20 seconds. At off peak times, trains will run every 5 minutes, carrying 25,000 passengers per hour in each direction adding up to more than 60 million per year across the whole of the first route.
(Sourced from Magharebia.com)
