Rail transport in Morocco

Morocco
Operation
National railway	ONCF
Statistics
Ridership	38 million per year (2012–13)
Freight	36 million tons per year (2012–13)
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 (under construction)
Map The Moroccan railway network (freight and passenger)

Map
The Moroccan railway network (freight and passenger)

Rail transport in Morocco is operated by the ONCF.

The main network for passenger-transport consists of a North–South link from Tangier via Rabat and Casablanca to Marrakech and the 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 (yet) linked by rail are often served by Supratours, a bus company operated by the ONCF.

The most important long-distance train services are:

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 x 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 passengers have more space. In first class each seat is assigned thus there the system doesn't work.

When trains are not busy you can be lucky and have a full couch available per passenger so you can lie down.

Besides these 'normal' compartments (that are also used on day-time trains, the special night-trains also offer sleeper-cars with bedrooms/compartments or couchettes. For a bed or couchette you pay a fixed price, regardless of the route or distance traveled. Beds and couchettes have to be reserved when you buy your ticket.

Every day there is one train on the route Marrakech-Tangier in each direction. On this route the standard 6 or 8 person compartments are available as well as the 4 person couchette-compartments.

timetable: Departure Marrakech at 21:00 with stops at (amongst others) Casablanca Voyageurs (0:45), Rabat-Ville (1:57), Kentira (2:37) and Sidi-Kacem (3:33). Arriving in Tangier at 7:25 hrs.
Departure Tangier at 21:05, Sidi-Kacem (1:30), Kentira (2:35), Rabat (3:15), Casablanca (4:30) and arriving in Marrakech at 08:05 hrs.