ONCF
| Reporting mark | ONCF, ONCFM |
|---|---|
| Locale | Morocco |
| Dates of operation | 1963–present |
| Predecessor | Compagnie des chemins de Fer du Maroc ("CFM"); Compagnie franco-espagnole du chemin de fer de Tanger à Fès ("TF") |
| Track gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) standard gauge |
| Length | 2,110 km |
| Headquarters | 8, rue Abderrahmane El Ghafiki, Rabat - Agdal |
ONCF or ONCFM (from French: Office Nationale des Chemins de Fer du Maroc; Arabic: المكتب الوطني للسكك الحديدية Al-Maktab al-Waṭaniy lil-Sikak al-Ḥadīdiyyah; Moroccan National Railways Office) is Morocco's national railway operator. The Office employs around 7,845 employees and has a network of 2,110 km, all 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) standard gauge of which 1,300 km is electrified (2015).
ONCF was created January 1, 1963 as a merger of:
The railways has been state-owned since formation in 1963. Plans were made in 2007 to re-form ONCF into a limited compancy to be called SMCF, but this hasn't materialized by the planned deadline in 2012.
The network has a north-south track from Tangier via Rabat and Casablanca to Marrakech. This line connects all major cities along or close to the Atlantic coast. In September 2012, ONCF started upgrading the Casablanca-Kenitra main line to improve capacity.
The other main link is the Northern East to West link from Oujda via Fes and Meknes to Rabat connecting to the N-S tracks in Kenitra.
For the (main) destinations where there is no trainservice (yet) the ONCF operates their own bus-company Supratours offering connecting bus-services from the nearest railway station to places like Agadir, Tétouan or Essaouira
A major investment program upgrades and extends the network. In 2009, a branch-line of the E-W link was completed, running from Taourirt for 100 km to Nador. This track runs down from the Rif mountains to sealevel at Nador. Most of the route from Taourirt follows the same route as the current national road. The tracks through Nador are underground and after Nador Ville the track continues to the Nador Port in Bin Anşār above ground again. This new branch-line is used for both passenger and freight trains with several passenger trains serving Fez, Rabat to Casablanca or to Tanger. There are 6 trains per day: some demanding change at Taourirt wye - others provide direct services up to Casablanca. The night-train (dep. 19:47 from Nador) doesn't even stop at Taourirt and thus doesn't have to change travel-direction.
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Wikipedia