Rail-bound transport in Morocco

The network of the railroads Moroccan is today one of most modern of Africa. Its development is however extremely complex because of history of the country. The choice of the spacings, the layouts, and certain decisions fraught with consequences such as the electrification often had political motivations.

First appearances of the rail in Morocco

If the Morocco can be prided to be one of the first countries of the African continent to have a railroad, this one has only one éphémêre existence. During nearly 60 years, the attempts to establish the rail will follow one another, leading only seldom to concrete achievements.

the very first Moroccan railroad is born in the north of the country in 1859. It connects Tétouan to the wadi el Marchi (Rio Martin) and is built by Spanish at the time of the war which opposes them to the Cherifien kingdom and which ends in the signature of the treaty of Tetouan on April 26th, 1860. With purely military vocation, this railroad seems to be closed and dismounted since 1862. At all events, it is the one of the first appearances of the rail on the African continent, only the Egypt having hitherto tried the experiment.
In 1887, the Belgian government tries a " percée" railway in a country where the means of transport remain always also rudimentary. The engineer Legrand , probably at the origin of the project, orders a small engine in the process of 60 with the factory Krauss of Munich (standard 74, n° 1769). Unloaded with Larache in December, it is conveyed with Meknès and is offered to the sultan Hassan Ier by the baron Whetnall , ambassador of Belgium in the presence of the engineer Legrand . The demonstration, carried out in the garden of Aguedal of Meknès, does not convince in addition to measurement the sultan. Preserved, the engine will be exposed thereafter in station of Rabat by CFM. It will disappear in the storm from the second world war.
At the end of the 19th century, the feudal ones take freedoms more and more. An attempt at tax reform causes the dissatisfaction with the population. An agitator, Bou Hamara, benefits to proclaim sultan and involves several tribes in the revolt from it. All Eastern Morocco raises itself soon, while the usurper installs his capital with Taza. The regular army is unable to come to end from the insurrectionists, and all the country is not long in rocking in the civil war and anarchy. Under the pressure of many of Algiers personalities, France then starts to be interested of close in Morocco. The first sign of this interest is a new attempt at railway opening, carried out in 1901. It is a complete failure, two wheels of the machine of demonstration being " égarées" during transport in cart.
the Conférence of Algeciras allows the France a greater interference in the Moroccan businesses. With the beginning of the year 1907, a small line in metric gauge track is built for the service road of the building site of the wearing of Casablanca. Three engines are used there. As it was the case in China, this railroad serves as a pretext for various demonstrations of xenophobia and causes a serious crisis. July 30th, 1907, " under pretext which a way of Decauville skirts the marabout of Sidi Belyout and which its traffic disturbs the rest of dead cimetierre voisin" , eight European workmen of the building site are assassinated by the population. This episode constitutes the beginning of the " events of Casablanca" , which causes a direct and muscular intervention French and Spanish troops, and longer-term establishment of a protectorate on Morocco.

First lines with strategic and mining vocation

From September 1907 in May 1908, the general of Amade directs the pacification of the plain of Chaouia, installing stations everywhere and restoring the order in a country in full chaos. But this catch in hand requires important convoys of supply. However, it is only at the price of great difficulties that those cross the hills bordering the littoral. Initially, the command thinks of curing it by creating a railroad in normal way between Casablanca and Berrechid, point central of Chaouia then making it possible to radiate in all the directions. But the general of Amade obtains only the authorization to build a railroad Decauville between the camps of Casablanca and Berrechid. Work begins in May 1908. Established in the process of 50 and using horse-drawn traction, this first line is inaugurated on September 20th, 1908: " The general of Amade, his staff, and the commander of the genious took seat at six o'clock in the morning in two passenger carriages drags by mules. There are four relays, and the journey time is three hours and half to traverse a distance of forty kilometers. The general of Amade offered to Ber Réchid large a déjeuner". Thus the day the first Moroccan narrow-gauge line sees. Its exploitation is rationalized little by little, which results in a reduction of the manpower and animals, and especially by the " réduction" run times. There is even a train " express" for the travellers! Known under the name of railroad of Chaouia , this railway is not long in causing multiple projects. At the same time, the Spanish mining companies seek to run out their products more easily. The Compañia del Norte Africano is the first to establish a line in the process of 60 at the beginning of Melilla in 1909. 5 kilometers are already in exploitation before the end of the year. March 20th, 1909, the Compañia española of mined LED Rif load the engineer Manuel Becerra Fernandez to study there a railroad in metric gauge track between the Spanish territory of Melilla and the concession minings of the companies on the mounts Uixan and Axara. Work starts immediately and the line enters in service in 1910. The continuation of work on these two mining lines will be strongly slowed down by the rising of the Riffian tribes.

The international policy dictates the choice of the spacing

The opening of the Railroad of Chaouia causes many hopes. A Union of the Moroccan mines solicits soon the Foreign Minister for his transformation into normal way. This last opens some with his/her colleague of the war on May 11th, 1910. This one refuses in October, applicant that would even raise financial problems, international, and… parliamentary! The business does not stop there. October 17th, it is the staff which submits his own project of transformation of the line of Chaouia and the urgent one qualifies it, estimating that " the operation of this instrument gives place to many criticisms: insufficient normal output and often almost no one, frequent derailments, impossibility of carrying it to an intensive exploitation where necessary, speed hardly higher than that of cartages, etc… ". In February 1911, various industrialists write a petition for the transformation of the line in normal way or at least into metric gauge track, while the reprocessed commander Maumené (representative of the Union of the Moroccan mines ) submits a construction project of a line Casablanca - Berrechid - Settat, transmitted with the ministry on February 6th. The business seems quite committed then, as shows it the answer of the Minister for the war to the captain in charge of the service of the railroad which claimed the sending of spare parts, on February 21st: " Because of the imminent construction of a railway of 1,05 Mr. on the same way, it does not appear necessary to constitute today a considerable provisioning of spare parts for the way existante". The dispatched material sees at once reduced half compared to the required quantities. It allows the construction of a prolongation of 1588 meters Casablanca, between the Door of Marrakech and the military hospital of Sour-Djedid. Spanish side, the state is sourcilleux. One plans the construction of a line of 36 kilometers in metric gauge track of Nador to Tiztoutine (and more precisely with the military camp of Batel). Work begins as of 1911 pennies the direction of the engineer Jose Roda and a first section of Nador to Selouane is inaugurated in December 1912. During this time, the civil war makes rage, opposing the partisans of the sultan legitimates Moulay Abd Al Aziz with those of his brother Moulay Hafiz . It is the latter which leaves victorious the conflict after having crushed the regular army in the south of the Oum er Rebia in August 1908. It obtains the recognition of the European great powers at once. Obliged to borrow large sums from Paris to strengthen its authority, he wants to create new taxes and makes himself unpopular. Some Moulay Zin benefit from it for autoproclamer sultan with Meknès and leave to besiege Fès with the head of its troops in April 1911. French sends a column at once to help the city. However, the only base of supply organized is that of Casablanca, with 296 kilometers of Fès. A new base is thus installed with the mouth of the river Sebou, seven kilometers downstream from Kenitra. 126 kilometers thus are saved, but it is necessary to transport all the material on-site. Some officers propose a more logical alternative: the installation, along the track Casablanca - Reduction, of a railway system Decauville, with material Pechot and Decauville taken on the provisioning of artillery of fortress. That does not prevent the general Moinier from releasing Fès on May 21st, 1911, then to seize Meknès. Spain benefits from it to occupy Larache and Ksar to el-Kébir, which returns to him under the terms of the agreement of 1904. The action of France overflows the operations of simple police force defined by the agreement of Algésiras. The Germany benefits from it to start again the Moroccan question. The Coup of Agadir of July 1st, 1911 causes a new major crisis, and new negotiations. A first agreement is initialed on October 11th: the German economic interests will be preserved in Morocco. In the railway field, the priority will have to be given to the construction of a line of Tangier with Fès, with prohibition to build any other line in economic matter before its inauguration. N the other hand, the Germany is committed not blocking the action of the France in Morocco and gives its agreement to the establishment of a protectorate. The final treaty is signed on November 4th, 1911.

One of vastest the network with way of 60 of the world

The treaty of November 4th, 1911 prohibits de facto any construction of a railroad in normal way, but even if they had wished it, French and Spanish would have been in sorrow to build a line " well; with character économique" in a country in perpetual rebellion. March 30th, 1912, the convention of Fès institutes protectorate and establishes in Morocco a mode similar to that of the Tunisia under the direction of a new general resident, Lyautey. The France does not occupy whereas two zones in Morocco, one centered on Casablanca in the west, and another centered on Oujda in the east. The operations of pacification are carried out starting from these two zones. The supply is carried out by rail. As there exists nothing, it is the army which undertakes to build them, and it uses the spacing retained by French artillery, the way of 60. Two networks progress thus to the meeting one of the other, the military Railroads of Morocco Occidental or CMMO and the Railroad of Marnia with Taourit or MT . Both are quickly indicated besides under the term of military Railroads of Morocco or CMM . Started since 1911, work is slowed down by the declaration of war in 1914, then begin again at a good rate/rhythm. The agreements of 1911 obviously became null and void, and these railways are opened at the business service at the beginning of 1916. The junction of the two networks is effective in 1921. January 1st, 1920, protectorate sees transferrer the exploitation of the unit and creates the following year the Régie railroads in the process of 0,60 m . The network represents then more than 1200 kilometers of line. So some are closed with the inauguration of the first sections in normal way, others are born for economic reasons or soldiers, within the framework of the war of Rif. One can add the network to it to character " tramway" exploited by the Company of Transport of Reduction-Salted , as well as the network of 80 kilometers known as of the Tractocarril builds by the Spanish army at the beginning of Tiztoutine, locality reached by the metric gauge track since 1920. In spite of the development of automobile transport, this network will subsitera until the second world war day before.

The network in normal way

Spain is not concerned with cetaines clauses of the agreements of 1911. Since 1912, it considers the creation of a line in normal way connecting Larache to Ksar to el-Kébir. Construction is started with a German company and the exploitation entrusted to the colonial Compañia africa , but this short section is not inaugurated before 1923. November 27th, 1912, a Franco-Spanish protocol provides the foundations of the future company in charge to exploit the line of Tangier to Fès. But it should be waited two years so that the line is conceded, and the Franco-Spanish Compagnie of the railroad of Tangier with Fès or TF is not born before June 26th, 1916. The last section will not be inaugurated before 1927. It is only into 1916 that France is considered released of any engagement with the agreements of 1911. An important network in normal way then is studied, and conceded with the Compagnie of the railroads of Morocco or CFM on August 21st, 1920. The last sections will be inaugurated in 1936, will be connected to the Algerian network with Oujda and thus giving rise to a " artery imperiale" of 2333 kilometers connecting all the French possessions of North Africa. Last actor, the Company of the railroads of Eastern Morocco or CMO sees himself granting the concession of the line Oujda - Bouarfa in 1927.

Evolution until independence

Very badly adapted to the climatic conditions and geological North-African, traction vapor remains only éphémêre on the Moroccan network. Since 1925, one chooses the electrification in 3000 volts D.C. current, and a first line is powering in 1927. The operations continue until 1933, except for the oriental party of the network, which is dedicated consequently to the relations with long distance and the heavy traffic. At the end of the years 1930, the network in the process of 60 disappears, while the line Nador - Tiztoutine is definitively closed in 1940. The two Spanish lines still ensuring a public service, of Ceuta to Tétouan and of Larache to Ksar to el-Kébir, are directly exploited by the Spanish state within the framework of the Ferrocarriles de Marruecos as from 1942. The Anglo-American unloading in North Africa, on November 8th, 1942, causes some destruction in the area of Casablanca and especially an intensive use of the network for military operations. The shortly after the war, the American assistance allows the massive dieselization of the network, which causes the disappearance of the last engines with vapor.

The current network

When Morocco reaches independence in 1956, he inherits a modern network and in good state. The old concessionary companies are maintained in their rights, time to proceed to the " marocanisation" of the personnel. The Ferrocarriles de Marruecos close their lines definitively on July 1st, 1958. August 5th, 1963, CFM and CMMO are nationalized and integrated in ONCF. Only TF remains independent for some time. Studies were in addition undertaken by Morocco and Spain for the creation of a railway tunnel Tangier - Gibraltar called Afrotunnel.

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