| Morocco | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Train at Rabat City station | |||||
| Operation | |||||
| National railway | ONCF | ||||
| Statistics | |||||
| Ridership | 38 million per year (2012–13) | ||||
| Freight | 36 million tons per year (2012–13) | ||||
| System length | |||||
| Total | 2,200 kilometres (1,400 mi) [1] | ||||
| Track gauge | |||||
| Main | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge | ||||
| Electrification | |||||
| 3000 V DC | Main network | ||||
| 25 kV 50 Hz | High-speed line | ||||
| |||||
Rail transport in Morocco is operated by the national railway operator ONCF. It was initially developed during the protectorate [ broken anchor ].
On 26 November 2018, the first high-speed rail line linking Casablanca and Tangier was launched. It is called Al Boraq (البُراق) in reference to the mythical creature that transported the Islamic prophets. This 323-kilometer-long (201 mi) high-speed rail service is operated by the ONCF. The first of its kind on the African continent, the line was inaugurated on 15 November 2018, by King Mohammed VI of Morocco following over a decade of planning and construction.
The line is constructed in two sections—a new route from Tangier to Kenitra and an upgrade of the existing route from Kenitra to Casablanca. [2] The 186-kilometre-long (116 mi) Tangier–Kenitra line has a top speed of 320 kilometres per hour (200 mph), while the 137-kilometre-long (85 mi) Kenitra–Casablanca line was rated for 160 kilometres per hour (99 mph) when service began, with a planned upgrade to 220 kilometres per hour (140 mph). [3] The trackage from Kenitra to Casablanca is planned to be eventually replaced by a new high-speed right of way, with construction scheduled to begin in 2020. [3]
At the launch of service in 2018, the travel time between Casablanca and Tangier was reduced from 4 hours and 45 minutes to 2 hours and 10 minutes. [3] The completion of dedicated high-speed trackage into Casablanca would further reduce the end-to-end travel time to 1 hour and 30 minutes. [3] Al Boraq trains are scheduled to depart Casablanca and Tangier every hour from 06:00 until 21:00 (from 07:00 on Sundays).
| Route | Travel time on the old classic railway | Travel time in 2018 [4] | Travel time in 2020 [5] |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tangier-Kenitra | 3h15 | 50 min | 47 min |
| Tangier-Rabat | 3h45 | 1h20 | 1h00 |
| Tangier-Casablanca | 4h45 | 2h10 | 1h30 |
| Rabat-Casablanca | 55 min | 50 min | 30 min |
As of 2019, the rolling stock operating on the line consists of 12 Alstom Euroduplex trainsets, with each set comprising two power cars and eight bilevel passenger cars. [6] [3] The passenger capacity is 533 across two first-class cars, five second-class cars, and a food-service car. [6]
The Tangier - Casablanca line is the first phase of what is planned to eventually be a 1,500 kilometers (930 mi) high-speed rail network in Morocco.
The main network for passenger transport consists of a North–South link from Tangier via Rabat and Casablanca to Marrakech and an East–West connection linking Oujda in the East via Fes to Rabat. The North–South and East–West links interconnect at Sidi-Kacem. Major destinations currently not linked by rail are usually served by Supratours, a bus company operated by the ONCF. [7]
The most important long-distance train services are:
| From: | To: (and vice versa) | via / change at: | traveltime [8] | Number of trains per day [8] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Casablanca | Tangier | Al-Boraq trains stop at Rabat-Agdal and Kenitra | 2h10m | 14 x |
| Casablanca | Fes | – | 3h20m | 18 x |
| Casablanca | Oujda | direct or via Fes | 10h | 3 x (one of them night-train) |
| Casablanca | Nador | direct (1x), via Fes or with transfer in Taourirt | 8h30m up to 10h | 4 trains/day of which 2 are night-trains |
| Marrakech | Fes | – | 7h10m | 8 x |
| Marrakech | Tangier | via Casablanca Voyageurs | 9h30m | 6 x one direct night-train |
| Tangier | Oujda | direct link at daytime night-train change at Sidi Kacem | 10h20m (day) 10h35m (night) | one day train, one night-train |
| Nador | Taourirt | gives connection to E–W mainline | 1h42m | 3 x (the direct night-train to/from Casablanca doesn't stop in Taourirt) |
| Casablanca | Oued Zem | – | 3h | 1 x |
| Casablanca | El Jadida | – | 1h25 | 8x |
| Safi | Benguerir | gives connection to N–S mainline | 2h | 2x |
The ONCF operates special night-trains on the long-distance main-line links. The following routes offer night-trains:
These long-distance trains operate with non-motorized passenger cars that have individual compartments. Second class compartments have two couches opposite each other, each couch offering 4 places. In first-class cars, each compartment offers 2 × 3 places and foldable arm-rests divides the places. In 1st class, each passenger has a reserved assigned seat.
Each compartment has its own door to the aisle and curtains can be drawn to keep the compartment dark. In the night-trains, passengers in a 2nd class compartment tend to draw the curtains, switch off the lights and close the sliding door, hoping that no passengers will enter their compartment so the existing cabin passengers might have more space. In 1st class, however, each seat is manually assigned. Thus, the system is not used.
When trains are not busy, couches are usually empty, so passengers can lie down at times.
Besides these 'normal' compartments (that are also used on day-time trains and special night-trains) they also offer sleeper-cars with bedrooms/compartments or couchettes. A bed or couchette has fixed price, regardless of the travelling route or distance. Beds and couchettes have to be reserved when tickets are brought. [9]
| Bed and couchette-prices Moroccan trains [9] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Type | persons | Adult | Child (up to 12 years old) (accompanied by an adult) |
| Bed | 1 | Dh. 600 | Dh. 490 |
| Bed | 2 | Dh. 450 | Dh. 340 |
| Couchette | 4 | Dh. 350 | Dh. 280 |
There is a daily train on the Marrakech-Tangier section in each direction. On this route, standard 6 or 8-person compartments are available, as well as 4-person couchette compartments.
Timetable [9] for this section:
Northbound: Marrakech (21:00), Casablanca Voyageurs (0:45), Rabat-Ville (1:57), Kentira (2:37), Sidi-Kacem (3:33), Tangier (7:25).
Southbound: Tangier (21:05), Sidi-Kacem (1:30), Kentira (2:35), Rabat (3:15), Casablanca (4:30), Marrakech (08:05).
Besides normal running trains, this section also runs a special hotel train service. This train only offers reserved sleeping compartments, compared to other normal services. The train service opened on 29 June 2010. [9] It featured in the James Bond film Spectre.
Timetable for this section: [9]
Westbound: Oujda 21:00, Taourirt (22:43), Fez (3:00), Kentira (4:30), Rabat (6:15), Casablanca-Voyageurs (7:15)
Eastbound: Casablanca-Voyageurs (21:15), Rabat (22:23), Kentira (22:51), Fez (1:30), Taourirt (5:03), Oujda (7:00).
Hotel train service timetable:
Northbound: 21:00 Oujda-Casablanca
Southbound: 21:15 Casablanca-Oujda
Nador is not the start or terminus; trains run from/to nearby Bin Anşār or Nador Port. The night-train on this route only offers 2 person sleeping compartments with full beds. No couchettes are available. [10]
As the train does not go to Taourirt, there is no need to change driving-direction and thus no need to move the engine. The day trains all stop at Taourirt and as the link to Nador is actually before the station of Taourirt (coming from Fes) the direction of travel has to change, including moving the locomotive from one end to the other.
Timetable [9] for this section:
Westbound: Nador (19:43), Fez (1:00), Casablanca (06:15).
Eastbound: Casablanca (19:45), Fez (0:15), Nador (06:00).
Trains on this section normally run to and from Bin Anşār or Nador Port.
Timetable [9] for this section: Northbound: Nador (17:43), Fes (23:00), Tangier (07:00)
Southbound: Tangier (21:35), Fes (2:30), Nador [10] (09:32).
The national railway-operator ONCF is working on several projects. The largest project is a high-speed railway from Tangier via Rabat and Casablanca to Marrakech. Also a (passenger) rail connection between Tangier and Tangier MED, the port on the Mediterranean near Tangier, will give passengers arriving by ferry a connection to the main lines. A train will operate every 2 hours between the port and Tangier city. [13] A freight-line from the Renault factory at Tangier MED is already operational [14] The Marrakech to Agadir railway is also planned to be completed by 2025, [15] becoming the first rail line to reach the southern Souss-Massa region.
There are around 56,986 km (35,409 mi) of roads in Morocco. In addition to 1,808 km (1,123 mi) of highways.
Kenitra is a city in northwestern Morocco. It is a port on the Sebou River with a population of 431,282 as of 2014. It is one of the three main cities of the Rabat-Salé-Kénitra region and the capital of the similarly named Kénitra Province. During the Cold War, the US Naval Air Station Port Lyautey served as a stopping point in North Africa.
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.
In Morocco, the 75 second-level administrative subdivisions are 13 prefectures and 62 provinces. They are subdivisions of the 12 regions of Morocco. Each prefecture or province is subdivided into arrondissements, municipalities or urban municipalities in other urban areas, and districts in rural areas. The districts are subdivided into rural municipalities. One prefecture (Casablanca) is also subdivided into préfectures d'arrondissements, similar to districts (cercles) except they are grouping a few arrondissements instead of rural municipalities.
The Marrakesh Railway Station is a railway station in Marrakesh, Morocco; it is currently the southern end-point of the Moroccan railway system. The current station was opened on August 10, 2008.
Cap Radio is a private Moroccan radio station based in Tangier. It covers the audience basins of the western Rif ; the eastern Rif ; from the east and Sais. the region of Casablanca Settat and Marrakech allocate Tensift and the Moroccan Sahara it broadcasts its news items and programs in Moroccan Darija especially from the north and the Rif dialect.
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.
Taourirt is a town in Taourirt Province in the northern part of Morocco. It is located in the Oriental region about 100 km west to the city of Oujda.
The Casa-Voyageurs Railway Station is an ONCF station in the Belvedere neighborhood of Casablanca.
Two main types of taxis can be found in Morocco:
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 city of Nador in Morocco has two railway-stations: Nador Ville and Nador South. Further on the line there is also a station at Beni Anşār / Aït Nsar and the terminal Beni Anşār / Aït Nsar Port, which is generally indicated as Nador Port station. As with all railway stations in Morocco, these stations are operated by ONCF, Morocco's national railway operator.
The port of Nador is a commercial port on the Mediterranean servicing the Rif area of Northern Morocco. The port is officially in Beni Ensar / Aït Nsar and shares its piers and entrance with the port of the Spanish enclave Melilla. It is a semi-artificial port using the Bou Areg Lagoon.
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.
There are a dozen major music conservatories in Morocco, supported by the Ministry of Culture. Some of the larger of these institutions use French names in international correspondence.
Avelia Euroduplex, more commonly known as just Euroduplex or TGV 2N2 in France, is a high-speed double-decker train manufactured by Alstom. It is primarily operated by the French national railway company SNCF, and also in operation with the Moroccan national railway company ONCF. It is the 3rd generation of the TGV Duplex.
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.
Train Navette Rapide is a Moroccan rail service operated by the ONCF. Its first phase runs from Casablanca to Kénitra with a half-hourly service in each direction, between 6 a.m. and 9.30 p.m. The concept was based on existing Moroccan transport links.
Media related to Rail transport in Morocco at Wikimedia Commons
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