ONCF

ONCF Office National des Chemins de Fer (المكتب الوطني للسكك الحديدية)

al-Maktab al-Waṭaniyy lis-Sikak al-Ḥadīdiyyah

Moroccan National Railways Office

ONCF ( Office National des Chemins de Fer or in Arabic: المكتب الوطني للسكك الحديدية al-Maktab al-Waṭaniyy lis-Sikak al-Ḥadīdiyyah, known locally as: Moroccan National Railways Office) 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 ONCF employs around 7,845 employees and has a network of 3,600 km, all 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge of which 1,300 km is electrified (2015). The general director of ONCF is Mohamed Rabie Khlie.

ONCF Creation

The railways have been state-owned since the formation of ONCF, created in 1963 as a merger of various private companies:

• Railways of Morocco - CFM (French: Compagnie des chemins de Fer du Maroc)
• Railway of Eastern Morocco - CMO (French: Compagnie du chemin de fer du Maroc oriental)
• Franco-Spanish company of Tanger-Fès - TF (French: Compagnie franco-espagnole du Tanger-Fès)
• Mediterranean-Niger-Railway (MN) (French Chemins de Fer de la Méditerranée au Niger)

ONCF Business Mission

ONCF performs several operations and has as a mission to:

• Exploit the rail infrastructure
• Study, build and maintain the train lines in the network
• Exploit all the businesses related to railway services locally and nationally

ONCF Institutional Reforms

ONCF has undergone several institutional reforms before becoming a state-owned company. Further institutional reforms are expected in order to open the national railway market to competition. Plans were made in 2007 to re-form it into a limited company fully owned by the Moroccan State to be called SMCF (French: Société Marocaine des Chemins de Fer) but this hasn't materialized by the planned deadline in 2012.

ONCF Network

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 train service (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

ONCF Overview

ONCF Headquarters: 8, rue Abderrahmane El Ghafiki, Rabat - Agdal
ONCF Reporting Mark: ONCF
ONCF Locale: Morocco
ONCF Dates of Operation: 1963–present
ONCF Predecessor: Compagnie des chemins de Fer du Maroc ("CFM"), Compagnie franco-espagnole du chemin de fer de Tanger à Fès ("TF")
ONCF Track Gauge: 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in)
ONCF Length: 2,067 km (1,284 mi)