Tunisia: SNCFT shortlists the consulting firms for the North-South railway corridor
In Tunisia, the National Railway Company of Tunisia (SNCFT) launched a call for applications on August 17, 2026, to pre-select consulting firms tasked with examining the feasibility of a high-performance North-South railway corridor. This step aims to clarify the technical and economic options of a project deemed strategic for the country’s internal connections.
SUMMARY
The official notice pertains to phase I, dedicated to feasibility studies and preliminary engineering. It does not constitute a construction contract nor a decision to build a high-speed line. The route, cost, financing, and implementation timeline will depend in particular on the findings of the study mission.
The procedure is open to Tunisian and international consulting firms, either solo or in groups, with references in railway transport. After pre-selection, the SNCFT will establish a shortlist and choose the service provider responsible for the mission following a consultation.
Applications must be submitted to the central ordering office of the SNCFT at the Tunis-Ville station by September 24, 2026, at 11:00 AM at the latest. The opening of bids is scheduled for the same day at 11:15 AM, in the presence of duly authorized representatives of the bidders who wish to attend.
A project included in the 2026-2030 plan
The Tunisian government had placed the North-South railway corridor among the major projects to accelerate under the 2026-2030 development plan. During a restricted ministerial council held in February, it presented this infrastructure as a tool for territorial cohesion, for opening up regions, and for supporting investment.
The official communication distinguishes between the high-speed train project and the high-performance railway corridor connecting the north to the south. The call for applications published by the SNCFT explicitly concerns the latter and uses the phrase “high-performance North-South railway corridor.”
The studies must allow for comparisons of routing scenarios, infrastructure characteristics, and project viability conditions. The pre-selection notice does not yet provide any estimates of the investment amount or the duration of future works.
This national project is also distinct from the study focused on modernizing the trans-Maghreb line connecting Casablanca, Algiers, and Tunis. The African Development Bank published the completion report for this other mission in June 2026, centering particularly on the cross-border sections Fès-Oujda-Akid Abbas and Annaba-Jedeida.
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