Mr Yacine Bendjaballah, until now Director of Customer Service of Algerian Railways (SNTF), has been named Chief Executive of the national railway company from 10 September 2013. He succeeds Mr Mourad-Soliman Benameur.

Born in 1964 in Setif, and a state-certified engineer with a Masters in railway operations from the Leningrad Institute of Railway Engineers (USSR), Mr Yacine Bendjaballah has held many positions of responsibility within the Algerian railway company (SNTF). He was notably Deputy Director of Movement (Algiers Traction Unit) in 1995, Director of Algiers Traction Unit (1995 – 1997), Head of Resources Division (1997), Director of Operations Department (DRF Algiers) (1997 – 2000), Director of Oran Railway Region (2000 – 2005), Director of Studies (XG) (from 2006 – 2007), Director of the Algiers Suburbs Business Unit (2007 – 2008), President-Director-General of the Rail Express subsidiary (2008 – 2010), then Director of Customer Service at SNTF from 2010 until his appointment to Chief Executive of SNTF from 10 September. In addition he is administrator of several companies and subsidiaries of the railway group.

UIC expresses its warmest congratulations to Mr Yacine Bendjaballah on his appointment as head of the national railway company of Algeria, and conveys its most sincere wishes for the successful development of rail transport in his country in the near future. SNTF is also an active railway in the UIC General Assembly and Executive Board, and in the UIC Regional Assembly for Africa – chaired by Mr Mohammed Rabie Khlie, Director-General of Moroccan Railways (ONCF). UIC therefore looks forward to close cooperation between SNTF and all UIC technical and regional cooperation structures.