Passenger Service Quality of the Bejaia-Algiers Railway Line: An Assessment of Infrastructure and Train Performance

In the contemporary world, where mobility is integral to daily life, the quality of public transport services is of increasing importance. Whether for business, commuting, or leisure, user satisfaction is heavily influenced by the performance of these systems. Among the best solutions to reduce traffic congestion and to decrease road traffic accidents is to invest in rail transportation. This is because rail transport offers several benefits, such as capacity, speed, reliability, and comfort. Algerian government is massively investing in the rail system, to link all the country with an efficient rail system, to improve mobility and ensure an efficient transport of frights. This study evaluates the service quality of passenger rail transport in Algeria, to assess user perceptions of existing railway infrastructure and key performance indicators. The objective is to identify the factors that influence passenger travel experiences and to determine the strengths and weaknesses of the rail system. The methodology is based primarily on a face-to-face survey of the Bejaia-Algiers users train line. The survey was conducted at the SNTF railway station in Bejaia, with a sample of 185 questionnaires conducted by passengers on this line. The questionnaire is divided into three parts. The first part covers the socioeconomic characteristics of users, the second examines management and service, and the third assess rail transport performance indicators. The results indicate that the long-distance rail transport in Algeria has several strengths and weaknesses. The primary reasons for choosing train travel are comfort, safety, and cost. While some performance indicators are highly rated, others require improvement; notably, the cleanliness of the rail station was identified as an area needing significant attention. The paper proposes some solutions to improve the service quality of rail transport in Algeria.