Tunisian Railways
Encyclopedia
The Société Nationale des Chemins de Fer Tunisiens (English: Tunisian Railways; v.i.), abbreviated SNCFT, is the national railway of Tunisia
Tunisia
Tunisia , officially the Tunisian RepublicThe long name of Tunisia in other languages used in the country is: , is the northernmost country in Africa. It is a Maghreb country and is bordered by Algeria to the west, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Its area...

 and under the direction of the Ministry of Transport. SNCFT was founded on December 27, 1956. Headquartered in Tunis
Tunis
Tunis is the capital of both the Tunisian Republic and the Tunis Governorate. It is Tunisia's largest city, with a population of 728,453 as of 2004; the greater metropolitan area holds some 2,412,500 inhabitants....

 the company employs about 6000 people. SNCFT provides both passenger and freight services at a national level.

Tunisia inherited much of its rail transport system from the French and the Tunisian Government has developed the infrastructure further. Due to historical reasons, the country has two different rail gauge
Rail gauge
Track gauge or rail gauge is the distance between the inner sides of the heads of the two load bearing rails that make up a single railway line. Sixty percent of the world's railways use a standard gauge of . Wider gauges are called broad gauge; smaller gauges, narrow gauge. Break-of-gauge refers...

 systems. Thus SNCFT manages 471 km of standard gauge network in the northern and a 1,674 km metre gauge
Metre gauge
Metre gauge refers to narrow gauge railways and tramways with a track gauge of . In some African, American and Asian countries it is the main gauge. In Europe it has been used for local railways in France, Germany, and Belgium, most of which were closed down in mid 20th century. Only in Switzerland...

 network in the central and southern part of the country (65 km electrified); only 8 km are double gauged
Dual gauge
A dual-gauge or mixed-gauge railway has railway track that allows trains of different gauges to use the same track. Generally, a dual-gauge railway consists of three rails, rather than the standard two rails. The two outer rails give the wider gauge, while one of the outer rails and the inner rail...

 track (2006). Tunisia has a rail link with neighbouring Algeria
Rail transport in Algeria
Rail transport in Algeria is operated by the SNTF , the official railway of Algeria.- Railway links to adjacent countries :...

 via the border at Ghardimaou, but passenger services are limited to a single round-trip per day (as at summer 2008).

SNCFT owns about 180 diesel engines, 15 diesel railcars, 6 electric rail cars, over 200 passenger cars, and more than 5200 freight cars. On order are diesel engines that will attain a speed of 130 km/h

Passenger service

In 2003 SNCFT served about 35.7 million passengers a year. It offers "grand confort", first class, and second class services. Fast air-conditioned trains ("Direct Climatisé") are air-conditioned in all three classes, and faster "Express" trains are also air-conditioned but have only first class and grand-confort class. Commuter trains (omnibus for local and banlieu for suburban service) usually contain only first and second class. In 2008 SNCFT took delivery of some new diesel multiple unit
Diesel multiple unit
A diesel multiple unit or DMU is a multiple unit train consisting of multiple carriages powered by one or more on-board diesel engines. They may also be referred to as a railcar or railmotor, depending on country.-Design:...

 trains which are marketed as "Autorail Express". These are used on the routes from Tunis to Sousse and Sfax, with one round trip per day from Tunis to Dahmani .

Tunis area

Local rail-based transportation providers are managed by the Société des transports de Tunis
Société des transports de Tunis
The Société des transports de Tunis or Transtu is the parastatal authority to manage public mass transit in the greater Tunis area. It supervises the bus network, the Métro léger de Tunis and the TGM rail link to La Marsa...

  and consist of the Metro leger
Métro léger de Tunis
The Métro léger de Tunis is an expanding public transportation network for the Tunis area that was started in 1985...

, a light rail
Light rail
Light rail or light rail transit is a form of urban rail public transportation that generally has a lower capacity and lower speed than heavy rail and metro systems, but higher capacity and higher speed than traditional street-running tram systems...

 network, and the 19 km Tunis-Goulette–La Marsa
La Marsa
La Marsa is a coastal town in far north eastern Tunisia near the capital Tunis. It is located at around . The population is estimated as 65,742, as of 2006. The old summer capital of pre-colonial Tunisia, it is today a popular vacation spot for many middle class Tunisians.It is connected to Tunis...

  (standard gauge
Standard gauge
The standard gauge is a widely-used track gauge . Approximately 60% of the world's existing railway lines are built to this gauge...

) rail link (TGM
TGM
Tunis-Goulette-Marsa or TGM is a 19 km Tunisian railway line linking the capital Tunis with La Marsa via La Goulette.The TGM was the first railway in Tunisia and inaugurated in 1872. Since 1905 it has been known as the TGM...

).

SNCFT provides local services in the Eastern suburbs of Tunis:
  • Tunis - Radès
    Radès
    Radès is a harbour city in Ben Arous Governorate, Tunisia. Situated 9 kilometres south-east of the capital Tunis, some consider it a Tunis suburb, and parts of the harbour installations of Tunis are located in Radès....

     - Hammam Lif - Borj Cédria - Erriadh; electrification is planned

Standard gauge

  • La Ligne du Nord: Tunis - Mateur
    Mateur
    Mateur is a town in northern Tunisia. It is located at around , close to the Lac Ichkeul National Park.- Overview :Located in the southwest of the governorate of Bizerte, Mateur is the county seat of a delegation of 57,562 inhabitants while its town counts 44,345 inhabitants divided in 8315...

     - Bizerte
    Bizerte
    Bizerte or Benzert , is the capital city of Bizerte Governorate in Tunisia and the northernmost city in Africa. It has a population of 230,879 .-History:...

  • La Ligne Internationale: Tunis - Béja
    Béja
    Beja is a town in Tunisia, Africa. It is the capital of the Béja Governorate. It is located 105 km from Tunis, between the Medjerdah River and the Mediterranean, against the foothills of the Khroumire, the town of Beja is situated on the sides of Djebel Acheb, facing the greening meadows,...

     - Ghardimaou
    Ghardimaou
    Ghardimaou is a town in the north-west of Tunisia about 192 km from Tunis. It belongs to the Jendouba Governorate. The town has about 70,000 inhabitants Ghardimaou is a town in the north-west of Tunisia about 192 km from Tunis. It belongs to the Jendouba Governorate. The town has...

    , border to Souk Ahras
    Souk Ahras
    Souk Ahras is a province in Algeria, named after its capital, Souk Ahras. It stands on the border between Algeria and Tunisia.- Geography :Souk Ahras is situated in the extreme north east of Algeria, it is 4360 km²....

    , Algeria
Béjà - Mateur
Mateur
Mateur is a town in northern Tunisia. It is located at around , close to the Lac Ichkeul National Park.- Overview :Located in the southwest of the governorate of Bizerte, Mateur is the county seat of a delegation of 57,562 inhabitants while its town counts 44,345 inhabitants divided in 8315...

 - Tabarka
Tabarka
Tabarka is a coastal town located in north-western Tunisia, at about , close to the border with Algeria. It has been famous for its coral fishing, the Coral Festival of underwater photography and the annual jazz festival. Tabarka's history is a colorful mosaic of Phoenician, Roman, Arabic and...

 and branches

Metre gauge

  • La Ligne du Sud-Ouest: Tunis - Gaafour
    Gaâfour
    Gaâfour is a town and commune in the Siliana Governorate, Tunisia. As of 2004 it had a population of 9,358.-References:...

     - Kasserine
    Kasserine
    Kasserine is the capital city of the Kasserine Governorate, in west-central Tunisia. It is situated below Jebel ech Chambi, Tunisia's highest mountain. Its population is 76,243 . In classical antiquity it was a Roman colony known as Colonia Cillilana or plain Cillium.- See also :* Battle of the...

  • La Ligne du Cap Bon
    Cap Bon
    Cap Bon , also Watan el-kibli, is a peninsula in far northeastern Tunisia. It is located at around . It is surrounded by the Gulf of Tunis in the north. Towns located on the peninsula include Nabeul, Kelibia and Menzel Temime. The ruins of the Punic town Kerkouane are located here....

    : Bir Bou Regba - Nabeul
    Nabeul
    Nabeul is a coastal town in northeastern Tunisia, on the south coast near to the Cap Bon peninsula. It is located at around and is the capital of the Nabeul Governorate...

  • La Ligne de la Côte: Tunis - Sousse
    Sousse
    Sousse is a city in Tunisia. Located 140 km south of the capital Tunis, the city has 173,047 inhabitants . Sousse is in the central-east of the country, on the Gulf of Hammamet, which is a part of the Mediterranean Sea. The name may be of Berber origin: similar names are found in Libya and in...

     - Sfax
    Sfax
    Sfax is a city in Tunisia, located southeast of Tunis. The city, founded in AD 849 on the ruins of Taparura and Thaenae, is the capital of the Sfax Governorate , and a Mediterranean port. Sfax has population of 340,000...

The Tunis-Sousse-Sfax line has the fastest (metre gauge
Metre gauge
Metre gauge refers to narrow gauge railways and tramways with a track gauge of . In some African, American and Asian countries it is the main gauge. In Europe it has been used for local railways in France, Germany, and Belgium, most of which were closed down in mid 20th century. Only in Switzerland...

) trains in the world, 130 km/h.

  • La Ligne du Centre: Sousse - Kasserine
  • Les Lignes du Grand Sud: Sfax - Metlaoui - Tozeur
    Tozeur
    Tozeur is an oasis and a city in south west Tunisia. The city is located North West of Chott el-Djerid, in between this Chott and the smaller Chott el-Gharsa. It is the capital of the Tozeur Governorate....

     and Sfax - Gabès
    Gabès
    Gabès , also spelt Cabès, Cabes, Kabes, Gabbs and Gaps, the ancient Tacape, is the capital city of the Gabès Governorate, a province of Tunisia. It lies on the coast of the Gulf of Gabès. With a population of 116,323 it is the 6th largest Tunisian city.-History:Strabo refers to Tacape as an...

    , and branches Metlaoui - Redeyef and Moulares.

  • The Sahel Metro: Sousse
    Sousse
    Sousse is a city in Tunisia. Located 140 km south of the capital Tunis, the city has 173,047 inhabitants . Sousse is in the central-east of the country, on the Gulf of Hammamet, which is a part of the Mediterranean Sea. The name may be of Berber origin: similar names are found in Libya and in...

     - Monastir
    Monastir, Tunisia
    -Areas within Monastir:Monastir's north-eastern territories lead into a place called Route de la Falaise, through which you will reach its most notable suburb, Skanes, which is 6 miles from Monastir's town centre...

     - Mahdia
    Mahdia
    Mahdia is a provincial centre north of Sfax. It is important for the associated fish-processing industry, as well as weaving. It is the capital of Mahdia Governorate.- History :...

    ; this route is electrified, but is part-worked by diesel traction.


The Lézard rouge
Lézard rouge
The lézard rouge is a historic Tunisian train, once the property of the Bey of Tunis but now used for tourists. It runs from Metlaoui to Redeyef and passes through the Selja Gorge, taking some 40 minutes for the journey. The track was originally used by mining trains carrying phosphates.- External...

(Red Lizard) is a diesel hauled tourist train on metre gauge and goes from Metlaoui
Métlaoui
Métlaoui is a town and commune in the Gafsa Governorate, Tunisia. As of 2004 it had a population of 37,099.- Infrastructure :Métlaoui is important railway station of southern Tunisia. City lies nearby Sousse-Tozeur line. The branch to Redeyef splits nearby. This line is famous because is runs...

 to Seldja. The service uses a former royal train of the Bey of Tunis with attendants in period uniform. The train makes photostops in the Seldja Gorge.

Freight service

SNCFT transported about 11.6 million tons of freight in 2003. In the south of Tunisia the Sfax-Gafsa Railway delivers phosphate
Phosphate
A phosphate, an inorganic chemical, is a salt of phosphoric acid. In organic chemistry, a phosphate, or organophosphate, is an ester of phosphoric acid. Organic phosphates are important in biochemistry and biogeochemistry or ecology. Inorganic phosphates are mined to obtain phosphorus for use in...

 and iron ore to the harbour at Sfax
Sfax
Sfax is a city in Tunisia, located southeast of Tunis. The city, founded in AD 849 on the ruins of Taparura and Thaenae, is the capital of the Sfax Governorate , and a Mediterranean port. Sfax has population of 340,000...

. Also the Metlaoui - Redeyef and Moularès - Kasserine lines are for the transport of phosphate.

History

In 1870, the Italian company Mancardi was granted a concession for a railway between Tunis and the Sahel
Sahel, Tunisia
Sahel is an area of Tunisia. It forms the central part of the eastern shore, from the south of Hammamet to Mahdia. Its main town is Sousse, called "the Pearl of the Sahel".-Politics:* Habib Bourguiba;* Zine El Abidine Ben Ali;* Kamel Morjane;...

 region but due to lack of capital was unable to build it. Instead, the first railway line in Tunisia linked Tunis with La Marsa - today's TGM line - and was inaugurated on August 2, 1872 by Sadok Bey.

Construction of the northern network

In 1872 the British Pickering company was allowed to build a standard gauge railway between Tunis and Jendouba with a concession for 50 years. However, as the plan was not implemented, in 1876, the French Corporation des Batignolles and its subsidiary, the Compagnie des chemins de fer Bône-Guelma, took over. Work started on April 30, 1877. The opening of the first link from Tunis to Tebourba took place on June 24, 1878. The line reached Medjez El Bab on September 30, Oued Zarga on December 30, Béja on September 1, 1879, Jendouba on September 30 and Ghardimaou on March 30, 1880. The link with Algeria was completed by September 29, 1884. In 1894, the route was linked to Bizerte. Later links were extended to Béja Mateur (1912) and Tabarka (1922). The French company was granted operational rights until 1922, after which it would be sold to the Tunisian state.

Construction of the southern network

In 1885 considerable deposits of phosphates were discovered in the region of Seldja. In 1897 a concession was granted to the Compagnie des phosphates et des chemins de fer de Sfax-Gafsa (CPCFSG) to mine the mineral and to build rail transport to the port of Sfax. The metre-gauge railway between Sfax and Métlaoui via Gafsa was completed by 1899. It was extended in 1913 to Tozeur and 1916 to Gabès. At the end of the concession, the line was to be returned to the Tunisian State.

In addition, the company was granted a concession to construct a railway between Tunis and Sousse that was built between 1895 and 1899 with branches to the Pont du Fahs, the Cape Bon, Nabeul, Kairouan and Moknine. This portion of the metre-gauge network was complemented by linking up to Fahs Ksar Ghilane (1906) where large holdings of phosphates and iron were found. The link between Sousse and Sfax was closed by 1911. The link to Cap Bon was extended in 1940 to the lignite deposits of El Oudiane. Finally, the connection between Ksar Rhilane in Algeria and the network was completed in 1930 and the strategic link between Haïdra
Haïdra
Haïdra is a city in western Tunisia, which was founded as a Roman city originally named Ammaedara. One of the oldest Roman cities in Africa, it was built on the border between the valleys and the Berber tribes....

 and Kasserine was closed by 1940.

Post World War II

By 1952 the rail network comprised 2044 km including 456 km of standard gauge
Standard gauge
The standard gauge is a widely-used track gauge . Approximately 60% of the world's existing railway lines are built to this gauge...

 and 1110 km of metre gauge operated by the Compagnie fermière des chemins de fer tunisiens. Their funding was provided by the state budget with the exception of the line Tunis - Ghardimaou which was acquired in 1922 by the Compagnie des chemins de fer Bône-Guelma. In addition there was the 440 km of metre gauge track operated by the Compagnie des phosphates et des chemins de fer de Sfax-Gafsa and 33 km standard track of the TGM.

After independence in 1956, the Tunisia
Tunisia
Tunisia , officially the Tunisian RepublicThe long name of Tunisia in other languages used in the country is: , is the northernmost country in Africa. It is a Maghreb country and is bordered by Algeria to the west, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Its area...

n railsystem was reorganised under the newly formed SNCFT, with the exception of TGM
TGM
Tunis-Goulette-Marsa or TGM is a 19 km Tunisian railway line linking the capital Tunis with La Marsa via La Goulette.The TGM was the first railway in Tunisia and inaugurated in 1872. Since 1905 it has been known as the TGM...

. The concession of the CPCFSG expired at the end of 1966 and its rail operation became part of Tunisian Railways on January 1, 1967.

Modern developments

Not shown on the map is the 120 km direct line between Gafsa
Gafsa
Gafsa is the capital of Gafsa Governorate of Tunisia. Its name was appropriated by archaeologists for the Mesolithic Capsian culture. With a population of 84,676, it is the 9th Tunisian city.-Overview:...

 and Gabès
Gabès
Gabès , also spelt Cabès, Cabes, Kabes, Gabbs and Gaps, the ancient Tacape, is the capital city of the Gabès Governorate, a province of Tunisia. It lies on the coast of the Gulf of Gabès. With a population of 116,323 it is the 6th largest Tunisian city.-History:Strabo refers to Tacape as an...

.

In 2004, a new section of line opened from Kalaa Seghira to M'Saaken, enabling through Tunis - Sfax services to avoid Sousse town centre. Until that year, all services passing through Sousse had to pass through the streets and along the seafront at low speed. Most of the Tunis - Sfax route was double-tracked at this time, enabling faster and more-punctual services to operate. (This line is also not shown on the map).

Discussions are underway between Libya and Tunisia about a 150 km standard gauge link from Ras Ejder
Ras Ejder
Ras Ajdir, alternatively Ras Jdir or Ras Ejder , is a small coastal town on the border between Tunisia and Libya and Libya's most northerly point.-Transport:...

 (the Libyan Border) to Gabès
Gabès
Gabès , also spelt Cabès, Cabes, Kabes, Gabbs and Gaps, the ancient Tacape, is the capital city of the Gabès Governorate, a province of Tunisia. It lies on the coast of the Gulf of Gabès. With a population of 116,323 it is the 6th largest Tunisian city.-History:Strabo refers to Tacape as an...

. Libya is building a coastal network planned to extend eventually to Egypt that currently terminates at Ras Ejder (earthworks visible on Google Earth as far east as Sirte
Sirte
Sirte is a city in LibyaSirte may also refer to:* Sirte Declaration, a 1999 resolution to create the African Union* Sirte Oil Company, a Libyan oil companyIn geography:* Gulf of Sirte, alias for Gulf of Sidra on Libya's coast...

). Containers could be transferred to the metre gauge at Gabès at an exchange yard. Standard gauge access to the current Gabès terminus station could be had at the coastal curve 2 km east of the terminus.

It appears (Google Earth 2008 view) that the western extremity of the Tabarka
Tabarka
Tabarka is a coastal town located in north-western Tunisia, at about , close to the border with Algeria. It has been famous for its coral fishing, the Coral Festival of underwater photography and the annual jazz festival. Tabarka's history is a colorful mosaic of Phoenician, Roman, Arabic and...

 branch (including the site of the terminus) has been abandoned as the route is flooded by a reservoir midway between Sajanan and Tabarka.

It appears that the Sousse-Kasserine line is also abandoned as a dam has flooded the alignment at Sidi Khader, though the westerm end as far a Jilmah seemed to have track until 2002 (Google Earth view 22/3/02).

Proposed lines

  • Gabès
    Gabès
    Gabès , also spelt Cabès, Cabes, Kabes, Gabbs and Gaps, the ancient Tacape, is the capital city of the Gabès Governorate, a province of Tunisia. It lies on the coast of the Gulf of Gabès. With a population of 116,323 it is the 6th largest Tunisian city.-History:Strabo refers to Tacape as an...

  • Medenine
    Medenine
    Medenine is the major town in southeastern Tunisia, south of the port of Gabès and the Island of Djerba, on the main route to Libya. It is the capital of Medenine Governorate.- Overview :...

  • Ras Ejder
    Ras Ejder
    Ras Ajdir, alternatively Ras Jdir or Ras Ejder , is a small coastal town on the border between Tunisia and Libya and Libya's most northerly point.-Transport:...

     border station with Libya and the Libyan Coast Line (under construction 2008)

Maps


Railway links to adjacent countries

Algeria
Rail transport in Algeria
Rail transport in Algeria is operated by the SNTF , the official railway of Algeria.- Railway links to adjacent countries :...

 - yes - Same gauge - Libya - railways under construction - break-of-gauge
Break-of-gauge
With railways, a break-of-gauge occurs where a line of one gauge meets a line of a different gauge. Trains and rolling stock cannot run through without some form of conversion between gauges, and freight and passengers must otherwise be transloaded...

 - / until gauge conversion
Gauge conversion
In rail transport, gauge conversion is the process of converting a railway from one rail gauge to another, through the alteration of the railway tracks...

 (some gauge would need to be converted to ).

See also

  • Rail transport in Tunisia
    Rail transport in Tunisia
    Rail Transport in Tunisia is provided by:* Tunisian Railways * Société des transports de Tunis, manages commuter trains of the Tunis area including metro light rail and TGM* Lézard rouge, a historical tourist train...

  • Société des transports de Tunis
    Société des transports de Tunis
    The Société des transports de Tunis or Transtu is the parastatal authority to manage public mass transit in the greater Tunis area. It supervises the bus network, the Métro léger de Tunis and the TGM rail link to La Marsa...

  • Transport in Tunisia
    Transport in Tunisia
    Tunisia has a number of international airports to service its sizable tourist trade. Tunis is the center of the transport system as the largest city having the largest port and a light transit system.- Railways :...


Note


The English term Tunisian Railways is taken from the official web site of SNCFT (accessed 2/7/2008), other terms that can be found are Tunisian National Railways and Tunisian State Railways.

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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