National company of the Tunisian railroads

The National company of the Tunisian railroads (SNCFT) is a State enterprise in charge of management, maintenance and exploitation of the Railway network Tunisia N. This Railway company, placed under supervision of the ministry for transport, manages a network of 23 lines an overall length of 2153 kilometers and 200 Gare S and transports as well travellers (broad outlines and suburbs) that goods (with the three-quarters of the Phosphate S). In 2005, it transports 36.790.000 travellers and conveys 10.800.000 tons of Fret.

The northern part of the network is with normal way (international spacing of 1435 millimetres) while the southern part (in the south of Tunis) is with metric gauge track. This network is connected to the network Algérie N by the border post of Ghardimaou.

Before the creation of the SNCFT, the Company of phosphates and railroads of Sfax-Gafsa have the Monopole network in the south of Sfax. In same time, of Tunis with Sfax, the network is exploited at the origin by the Compagnie of the railroads Bône-Guelma.

History

The SNCFT is created by the Décret December 27th 1956 to take in hand the northern part of the domestic network. The southern part, i.e. the Sfax-Gafsa-Métlaoui line and the mining Star (together of the short connections radiating with Métlaoui towards the local mining centers of phosphate such as Redeyef and Mdhila), is managed by the Company of phosphates and the railroads of Sfax-Gafsa in accordance with a Concession of the May 22nd 1897 and is granted by the Tunisian State to this company. With the expiry of this concession, the December 31st 1966, the government takes again possession of the southern part, on January 1st 1967, and management entrusts some to the SNCFT.

Projects

The fleet of the SNCFT must be reinforced by 10 trains delivered at the end of November 2007. The new material will be devoted to the lines with great traffic: Tunis-Sousse and Tunis-Sfax. The new machines will replace the trains which are not any more able to ensure a minimum of comfort for the travellers.

A project of electrification of the southern Suburban line of Tunis (Tunis Borj Cédria) associated with the delivery of 20 trains is in hand and the contract must be signed by January 2007 with the suppliers and other partners. The exploitation will be effective with the beginning of the year 2009.

External bonds

Official site of the Time SNCFT
of the SNCFT
Network of the SNCFT

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