Rail transport in Morocco

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Passenger train of the state railway company ONCF

The rail transport in Morocco is from the state Office National des Chemins de Fer operated (ONCF). Along with South Africa , Egypt and Algeria, Morocco is one of the few countries on the African continent with a developed rail network .

history

Train in Rabat-Ville station

The first railroad in Morocco ran in 1888 as a gift from the Belgian government to Sultan Mulai al-Hassan I in a park in Meknes . After the Algeciras Act and the Franco-German Agreement of 1911 , the French protectorate power created numerous lines that, due to military restrictions, were only designed as narrow-gauge railroads , mostly with a gauge of 600 mm. They were converted to standard gauge by 1936 . French steam locomotives were initially used. Electrification began in 1927 with a DC voltage of 3000 volts .

The three private companies Compagnie des chemins de fer du Maroc (CFM), Chemins de Fer du Maroc Oriental (CMO) and Tanger-Fès (TF) were merged and nationalized to the ONCF after the full independence of Morocco from France and Spain in early 1963. In 1984 the double-track expansion between Casablanca and Rabat and the rapid transit network for TNR trains (Trains Navettes Rapides) went into operation.

Since 2000 there have been many new buildings and route straightening. By 2008, the line between Rabat and Fès received a second track. From Casablanca a new double-track line was built to El Jadida , and the double-track expansion from Casablanca to Oued Zem followed . New lines from Tangier to the Tanger-Med free port and from Taourirt to Beni Ansar as well as the reopening of the line to Casablanca Port followed. During this time, the ONCF fleet was also increased to French standards (all passenger trains are usually air-conditioned). A regular service was introduced and the number of trains was increased on numerous connections.

Railway network

Moroccan rail network 2018

The backbone of the railway network with a length of 2110 kilometers and 133 stations (as of 2017) is the line from Oujda on the Algerian border via Fès and Casablanca to Marrakech , from which several branch lines branch off. Almost 1,600 kilometers of the routes are electrified. On November 6, 2015, King Mohammed VI. proposed the development strategy of the railway network up to 2040, consisting of the expansion and modernization of the existing network, the expansion of two high-speed lines and the connection of several ports, with a total investment volume of around 260 billion dirhams (approx. 24 billion euros).

High speed network

( Réseau à Grande Vitesse )

  • The Atlantic line from Tangier via Rabat, Casablanca and Marrakech to Agadir

On October 23, 2007, during a state visit with Moroccan ministers, French President Nicolas Sarkozy signed a letter of intent to build a TGV -based high-speed line (called Al Boraq ) between Casablanca and Tangier. As a result, the 200-kilometer section between Tangier and Kenitra was re-routed for 320 km / h (see LGV Tanger-Kenitra ) and the remaining 137 kilometers to Casablanca were expanded for a speed of 220 km / h. According to the ONCF, the investment costs amounted to 22.9 billion dirhams (around 2.1 billion euros). At the end of June 2015, the first of 12 TGV duplex trains from the manufacturer Alstom was handed over to ONCF. On November 15, 2018, the Tanger – Kenitra section, which is now only 180 kilometers long, was put into operation. The journey time from Tangier to Casablanca has been reduced from 4:45 to 2:10. By April 2019, this first expansion section was used by one million passengers on 20 daily connections. In the future, this line is to be connected to the European high-speed network by means of a tunnel.

  • The Maghreb line from Rabat via Fès to Oujda

A high-speed line is planned from Rabat via Meknés and Fés to Oujda, which is expected to become part of an international railway line to Tunis.

Conventional rail network

( Réseau des Lignes Conventionelles )

According to the railway development strategy of 2015, the modernization of the railway junction around Casablanca, the old Tangier – Kenitra line, the branch lines to the ports of El Jadida and Nador , and the Kenitra – Meknès – Fès and Taourirt – Oujda sections are planned. The cities of Tétouan , Chefchaouen and Al Hoceima in the north, as well as Guelmim and Taroudant in the south are to be developed through new branch lines. In central Morocco, a new connection between Marrakech and Essaouira is planned, the extension of the Casablanca-El Jadida coastline via Safi to Essaouira, and a new connection between Marrakech and Mèknes via the region around Beni Mellal .

In rail freight transport , the transport of phosphate to the ports on the Atlantic is important with around 27 million tons. The planned modernization of the existing main lines, which are relieved by the high-speed lines, as well as the connection of further port cities are also aimed at strengthening national transport logistics by rail.

Tram networks

After the inauguration of the new "Hassan II" bridge between Rabat and Salé by King Mohammed VI on May 18, 2011, it will be available for road traffic and trams . To celebrate the start of operation of the Rabat-Salé tram, open days were held and demonstration drives were carried out on three days . Regular passenger service on the new tram lines 1 and 2 (phase 1) began on May 23, 2011. Line 2 is to be extended further in the future.

Another tram network was opened in Casablanca in December 2012 .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Key figures 2017 , ONCF website, accessed on May 12, 2019
  2. ↑ a b Morocco's railway strategy until 2040 , on oncf.ma
  3. ↑ See: TGVs to Marrakech Railway Gazette , April 1, 2007
  4. ↑ ONCF and Alstom sign a contract for the supply of 14 very-high speed trains to Morocco ( Memento of the original from May 2, 2017 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (Alstom Press Release) @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.alstom.com
  5. ↑ Africa's first high speed train delivered. Railway Gazette , July 1, 2015, accessed July 1, 2015 .
  6. ↑ First TGV in Africa is rolling in: Lok Magazin 2/2019, p. 34.
  7. ↑ Already one million passengers in Al Boraq , huffpostmaghreb.com as of April 24, 2019
  8. ↑ The Moroccan TGV on LeMonde.fr of October 8, 2011
  9. ^ "The railway network is to be comprehensively modernized" , Maghreb-Post dated November 18, 2018
  10. ^ "Premier fonds pour le chemin de fer Maroc-Algerie-Tunisie" , Le 360afrique.com of February 5, 2019
  11. ^ Website of the ONCF Railway "Administrative Assembly Report"