Rail transport in Morocco was initially developed during the protectorate. It functioned primarily as a means to mobilize colonial troops and to transport natural resources. Later, a standard-gauge network was built.
The first short narrow-gauge railway in Morocco was a 600 mm (1 ft 11+5⁄8 in) narrow-gauge line presented to the Sultan of Morocco in 1887 by the Belgian Government to connect his palace with his Jardin l'Agdal de Meknes. With the railway came two coaches and one steam locomotive (Krauss 1744 / 1887 Ct-n2 ) delivered via F. Weidknecht, Paris. This move was done to improve the Belgian trade possibilities with the Sultan with hope to build railways in Morocco.
In 1907, the French Compagnie Marocaine established a 600 mm (1 ft 11+5⁄8 in) line connecting the Port of Casablanca to a quarry in Roches Noires with a Decauville engine, though it was destroyed by tribesmen of the Shawiya. [1]
The first major French-built narrow-gauge railway line in Morocco was completed in 1908 with 500 mm (19+3⁄4 in) minimum-gauge track, which was later converted to 600 mm (1 ft 11+5⁄8 in) narrow-gauge track. More lines utilizing 600 mm (1 ft 11+5⁄8 in) gauge track followed. Beginning in 1912 and ending in 1935, French Morocco had one of the largest 600 mm (1 ft 11+5⁄8 in) gauge networks in Africa with a total length of more than 1700 kilometres. [2] After the treaty of Algeciras where the representatives of Great Powers agreed not to build any 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard-gauge railway in Morocco until the standard-gauge Tangier - Fes Railway being completed, the French begun to build military 600 mm (1 ft 11+5⁄8 in) gauge lines in their part of Morocco.
The 948 km Marrakech - Casablanca - Kenitra - Fes - Oujda line became known as Chemins de fer strategiques du Maroc and the branch lines diverting from the line as Chemins de fer de penetration du Maroc. These lines were mostly built - with exception of Guercif - Outat Oulad el Hadj - Midelt, which was started in 1916 and completed in 1920 - during the period of 1921 - 1925.
There have been narrow-gauge railways which used meter gauge, 1,000 mm (3 ft 3+3⁄8 in) gauge, and 600 mm (1 ft 11+5⁄8 in) gauge in former Spanish Morocco.
A narrow-gauge railway was also constructed from Tetuan to Ceuta in 1913–1918 by CEC (Compañía Española de Colonización). It was handed over to the state-run FCM (Ferrocarrilles de Marruecos) in 1942 and closed in the aftermath of the Moroccan independence (1956). [3]
Before the independence of Morocco in 1956 four standard-gauge railways were built by individual companies. In 1963 all four were merged to form the ONCF, Morocco's current national railway operator.
Railways of Morocco (French Compagnie des chemins de fer du Maroc (CFM) ) was established in 1920 and built two railway lines:
From 1919 the Franco-Spanish company of Tanger-Fès (French: Compagnie Franco-espagnole du Tanger-Fès (TF) ) started construction of the 315 km Tangier - Fes railway, out of which 18 km were in the International zone of Tangier, 93 km in the Spanish zone and 204 km in the French zone. The railway was finished in 1927.
Railway of Eastern Morocco (French: Compagnie du chemin de fer du Maroc oriental (CMO) ) built the Oujda - Bouarfa, Morocco railway which was completed in 1927.
The Mediterranean-Niger-Railway (French: Chemins de Fer de la Méditerranée au Niger (MN) ) was built between the coal mining region near Bou Arfa in the east of Morocco and the Algerian rail system at Oujda, completed as standard-gauge route between Oran and Oujda in 1922, while Fes was reached in 1934. [4]
There are around 56,986 km (35,409 mi) of roads in Morocco. In addition to 1,808 km (1,123 mi) of highways.
Ouazzane is a town in northern Morocco, with a population of 59,606 recorded in the 2014 Moroccan census.
The French protectorate in Morocco, also known as French Morocco, was the period of French colonial rule in Morocco that lasted from 1912 to 1956. The protectorate was officially established 30 March 1912, when Sultan Abd al-Hafid signed the Treaty of Fez, though the French military occupation of Morocco had begun with the invasion of Oujda and the bombardment of Casablanca in 1907.
ONCF is Morocco's national railway operator. ONCF is a state-owned company that is under the control of the Ministry of Equipment, Transport and Logistics and is responsible for all passenger and freight traffic on the national railway network. The company is also responsible for building and maintaining the rail infrastructure.
The Baldwin Class 10-12-D was a class of narrow gauge 4-6-0PT steam locomotives built by the Baldwin Locomotive Works (USA) for the British War Department Light Railways for service in France during World War I. They were built in 1916–1917 to 600 mm gauge.
Rail transport in Morocco is operated by the national railway operator ONCF. It was initially developed during the protectorate.
Al Boraq is a 323-kilometre (201 mi) high-speed rail service between Casablanca and Tangier in Morocco. The first of its kind on the African continent, it opened on 15 November 2018 after a decade of planning and construction by ONCF, Morocco's national railway company.
The National Rail Transportation Company is Algeria's national railway operator. The SNTF, a state-owned company, currently has a monopoly over Algeria's rail network of 3,973 km (2,469 mi), although it is currently utilising only 3,572 km (2,220 mi). Out of the total railway network, 2,888 km (1,795 mi) are 1,435 mmstandard gauge and 1,085 km (674 mi) are 1,055 mm narrow gauge.
The Casa-Voyageurs Railway Station is an ONCF station in the Belvedere neighborhood of Casablanca.
The economic history of Morocco has largely been charted by the national government through a series of five-year plans. Centralized planning has gradually given way to moderate privatization and neoliberal economic reforms.
Benin has a total of 578 km (359 mi) of single track, 1,000 mm railway. Rail construction began around 1900, with regular services commencing in 1906; rail operation was taken into government control in 1930.
The Chemin de Fer Économiques Forestiers des Landes was a narrow gauge railway in Landes, France which operated between 1907 and 1934. It was the only 750 mm gauge railway in France.
The Mediterranean-Niger-Railway (MN) was a railway in Western Africa.
The Fes Railway station is the main station in the Moroccan city of Fes. There are secondary stations for local connections, but this is the station used for the long-distance main-line trains.
The French National Railways used to run a considerable number of 1,000 mmmetre gauge lines, a few of which still operate mostly in tourist areas, such as the St Gervais-Vallorcine (Alps) and the "Petit Train Jaune" in the Pyrenees. The original French scheme was that every sous-prefecture should be rail connected. Extensive 600 mm gauge lines were also built for the sugar-beet industry in the north often using ex-military equipment after the First World War. Decauville was a famous French manufacturer of industrial narrow-gauge railway equipment and equipped one of the most extensive regional 600 mm narrow-gauge railway, the Chemins de fer du Calvados. Corsica has a narrow-gauge network of two lines following the coast line, that are connected by one line crossing the island through highly mountainous terrain. The petit train d'Artouste, a tourist line in the Pyrenees, uses 500 mm gauge.
Narrow-gauge railways are common in Africa, where great distances, challenging terrain and low cost have made the narrow gauges attractive. Many nations, particularly in Southern Africa, including the extensive South African Railway network (Spoornet), use a 3 ft 6 in gauge. Metre gauge is also common, as in the case of the Uganda Railway. There used to be extensive 2 ft and 600 mm gauge networks in countries such as Morocco, Congo, Angola, Namibia and South Africa, but these have mostly been dismantled or converted. Some also survive in Egypt: in the countryside around Luxor, narrow-gauge railways are used for the transportation of sugar cane.
There have been narrow-gauge railways which used 1,000 mm, 750 mm and 600 mm gauges.
French Morocco had from 1912 to 1935 one of the largest 600 mm gauge network in Africa with a total length of more than 1,700 kilometres (1,100 mi). After the treaty of Algeciras where the representatives of Great Powers agreed not to build any 1,435 mm standard-gauge railway in Morocco until the standard-gauge Tangier–Fes railway being completed, the French begun to build military 600 mm gauge lines in their part of Morocco French Morocco.
Casa-Port Railway Terminal is an ONCF station in the centre of Casablanca, near the Port of Casablanca. It is served by suburban, regional and long-distance trains and is one of the major Casablanca stations, together with Casa-Voyageurs.
The Compagnie générale du Maroc, known as "Genaroc", is a French financial holding company founded in February 1912 by a consortium of French banks headed by the Bank of Paris and the Netherlands.