History of rail transport in Algeria

The National Rail Transportation Company (french: Société Nationale des Transports Ferroviaires, abbreviated SNTF; ar, الشركة الوطنية للنّقل بالسّكك الحديدية) is Algeria's national railway operator. The SNTF, a state-owned company, currently has a monopoly over Algeria's rail network of , although it is currently utilising only . Out of the total railway network, are ( of these are electrified) and are narrow gauge (as of 2008).

History

The beginnings

The history of the railway in Algeria began with the colonisation of the country by France. On 8 April 1857, a decree ordered the creation of of railways, beginning with the construction of a standard gauge line from Algiers to Blida, which started on 12 December, 1859. The French private company ''Compagnie des chemins de fer algériens'' started working on the line with the help of the French army on 11 July 1860. Around the same time, the company obtained permission to create an Oran-Sig line and a Constantine- Skikda line. However, due to economic difficulties, only the Algiers-Blida line was finished, and it was subsequently opened to the public on 8 September 1862. Afterwards, 5 other companies started the construction of new lines:
*''La Compagnie Bône - Guelma'' (''BG'')
*''La Compagnie de l'Est Algérien'' (''EA'') (Eastern Algeria)
*''La Compagnie Paris - Lyon - Méditerranée'' (''PLM'')
*''La Compagnie de l'Ouest Algérien'' (''OA'') (Western Algeria)
*''La Compagnie Franco - Algérienne'' (''FA'')

Between 1857 and 1878, the following lines (or parts of them) were finished, totalling , which exceeded initial expectations:
*Annaba - Berrahal
*Annaba - Bouchegouf - Guelma
* El Khroub - Oued Zenati
*Constantine - Skikda
*Constantine - Sétif
*Algiers - Thénia
*Algiers - Oran
* Arzew - La Macta - Mohammedia
*Mohammadia - Mécheria
*Oued Tlélat- Sidi Bel Abbès

Nationalisation

After 1879, France divided the railway lines being built into categories of ''local interest'' or of ''general interest'', with only the latter being eligible to receive state funding. The 18 July 1879 decree defined the extent of some "general interest" lines and ordered the construction of a further of railways to expand the existing network. Between 1879 to 1906, the following lines (or parts of them) were finished, totalling :
* Souk Ahras—Tébessa— Le Kouif— Tunisian border
*Berrahal—Ramdane Djamel
*Ouled Rahmoune— Khenchela
*El Guerrah— Biskra
*Sétif—Thénia with further lines to include Tizi Ouzou, Béjaia and Sour El-Ghozlane
* Blida— Berrouaghia
* Mostaganem— Relizane— Tiaret
*Oran— Arzew
*Es Sénia— Aïn Témouchent
* Sidi Bel Abbès— Tlemcen— Moroccan border
* Tabia— Crampel
* Méchéria— Béchar
* Tizi— Mascara

In 1946, Algeria's total railway network comprised a total of of active lines, in addition to mine lines, significantly more than the current network. After a while, the private companies were unable to maintain economic stability, which led the French government to buy the ''Franco - Algérienne'', ''Est Algérien'', '' Bône-Guelma'' and ''Ouest Algérien'' in 1900, 1908, 1905 and 1920 respectively.

On 27 September 1912, the state-owned ''Compagnie des Chemins de Fer Algériens de l'Etat'' (CFAE) assumed control of all lines, except those owned by the ''Compagnie Paris - Lyon - Méditerranée''. On 1 July 1921, the CFAE and PLM agreed to share the Algerian railway network with the PLM operating the Algiers-Oran, Oran-Aïn Témouchent, Sidi Bel Abbès-Tlemcen-Oujda-Crampel, Blida-Hassi Bahbah lines (effectively Western Algeria) while the CFAE operated the rest.

On 30 May 1938, both companies were incorporated into the newly founded SNCF, which operated all of France's railway network, with the Algerian network becoming a ''région''. On 1 January 1939, the ''Office des Chemins de fer Algériens'' (''Office CFA'') was created, focusing on the Algerian network.

On 30 June 1959, an agreement was made between the French government and the OCFA leading to the creation of the ''Société des Chemins de Fer Français en Algérie'' which commenced operations on 1 January 1, 1960. This new company operated Algeria's railways until its replacement by the ''Société Nationale des Chemins de Fer Algériens'' ''(SNCFA)'' on 16 June 1963, a year after Algeria's independence.

Post-Independence

On 30 March 1976, the SNCFA split into the following companies:
*SNTF, for the operation and maintenance of the lines;
*SNERIF, for the renewal and extension of the network;
*SIF, for the engineering and modernisation of the infrastructure.

This reorganisation was intended to improve the railway network and services in Algeria, however it proved unsuccessful and the two latter companies were reintegrated into the SNTF. In 1980, a convention for the relations between the Algerian state and the SNTF was signed, officially called ''decree N° 88-128 of 28 June 1988''. This convention is still in effect and regulates the salaries of the workers and the maintenance of the infrastructure, and bears similarities with the June 1959 convention. In December 1990, the SNTF became an Établissement Public à caractère Industriel et Commercial (EPIC).

Recent investments

Large investment programs were launched after 1980 to improve the Algerian railway network, such as the construction of the Jijel- Ramdane-Djamel line (), the Béni Saf area railway, providing transportation for its cement plant (), and in the Saïda (23 km) and Aïn Touta areas ().

In addition to that, about of track were replaced, both the track ballast and the railway ties, as well as the duplication of the tracks of the ''Rocade Nord'' in Algiers (about ). Many train stations all over the country were modernised or even reconstructed, and there were also many improvements to the railways in the vicinities of Algiers and Annaba.

A new, separate organisation, Anesrif, has been created to manage infrastructure investment whilst SNTF concentrates on day-to-day operations. Anesrif has awarded a series of contracts to build new infrastructure and upgrade existing lines, including the construction of a single-track line from Relizane to Tiaret and Tissemsilt, forming part of the High Plateau line.

Rolling stock

As of 2017, SNTF's rolling stock inventory consisted of:
* 258 Locomotives
* 10,129 Railway cars
* 380 Passenger cars
*17 Alstom Coradia
*17 CAF TDMD S/599
*64 Stadler Flirt
File:SNTF ZZe-02 - Metz - 2018.jpg, Mainline train Alstom Coradia ZZe-02
File:Train Automotor diésel ZZ 2202 de la SNTF (Algérie).jpg, CAF Regional rail "Inter-villes" Autorail TDMD S/599
File:Swiss Flirt for SNTF Algeria.jpg, Commuter rail Stadler Flirt
File:Un train en plein nature.jpg, Locomotive GT36HCW with passenger cars
File:Train en plein nature -E lAsname Bouira.jpg, Locomotive GT46Ac with cargo

Railway links to adjacent countries

gauge links were built to both Morocco and Tunisia. However, the land border with Morocco has since been closed.

Affiliations

The SNTF is a member of the following organizations:
* African Union of Railways
* Arab Union of Railways
* Comité du Transport Ferroviaire Maghrebin (CTFM) (has its headquarters in Algiers)
* International Union of Railways (UIC)

See also

* Similar gauges
* Template:Suburban railways in Africa

References and notes

External links

*
EngRailHistory
The Railways of Morocco, Tunisia, and Algeria ''(Internet Archive)''

{{DEFAULTSORT:National Company For Rail Transport
1055 mm gauge railways in Algeria
Standard gauge railways
Algerian brands
Companies based in Algiers
Railway companies of Algeria
Rapid transit in Algeria