Train_Navette_Rapide Knowpia

Train Navette Rapide Casablanca-Kenitra
Train Navette Rapide Casablanca-Kenitra
	Train at Rabat-Ville railway station
Overview
Other name(s)	Aouita
Owner	Kingdom of Morocco
Termini	Casa-Port; Kenitra-Medina;
Service
Services	TNR Casablanca-Kenitra
Operator(s)	ONCF
Ridership	15 million (2010)
History
Opened	1984
Technical
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge

Train Navette Rapide ("Fast Shuttle Train", more commonly known as the "TNR" or "Aouita") is a Moroccan rail service operated by the ONCF. Its first phase runs from Casablanca to Kénitra with a half-hourly service in each direction, between 6 a.m. and 9.30 p.m^{[citation needed]}. The concept was based on existing Moroccan transport links.

TNR Casablanca - Kenitra edit

History edit

On 21 May 1984, following the doubling of the Casablanca—Rabat line, the TNR made its first journey on the line from Casa-Port to Rabat-Ville. It was named the "Aouita". It connected the two cities with 14 trains a day in each direction, journeys taking under an hour. The TNR service was provided by eight EMUs, each with 271 seats and air conditioning.

Spurred by its success, the ONCF added 32 centre-aisle coaches in 1992, and in 1995 added a second series of six air-conditioned EMUs.

To improve the service, more infrastructure projects were undertaken to extend the line to Salé and on to Kénitra, which was made possible by doubling the line between them (in 1992) and constructing a tunnel at Rabat Agdal (in 1996).

In 2002, the service was increased to sixty trains a day in each direction (30,000 seats/day), half-hourly during off-peak and every 15 minutes during peak hours.

In 2010, the TNR carried over 15 million passengers, half of the entire traffic, with 3 million season-ticket holders.^[1]

Route map edit

TNR Casablanca-Kenitra

Legend

					Casa-Port AB
					Ain Sabaâ AB
					Mohammédia
					Bouznika
					Shikrate
					Témara LB
					Hay Ryad LB
					Rabat-Agdal LB
					Rabat-Ville LB
					Salé-Ville LB
					Salé-Tabriquet LB
					Bouknadel
					Kenitra-Ville
					Kenitra-Medina

Plans edit

Service improvements edit

Increase of train frequency to 15 minute intervals, and 5 minute intervals in peak hours. This will be possible with the implementation of ETCS signalling.
Construction of the Al Boraq and tripling of tracks between Rabat and Casablanca to separate slower and high-speed trains, and to improve the speed of the TNR at the Casablanca-Kenitra hub.^[2]

Extension edit

An extension of the TNR service in the north-west of Kenitra is also planned, to serve the Atlantic Free Zone and the town of Sidi Yahya El Gharb.

Expansion edit

The TNR concept has been rolled out to other lines:

June 1993: Casablanca – Mohammed V International Airport; this route was renamed Al Bidaoui in 2002 after service upgrades.
June 2002: Casablanca – El Jadida; service was increased in June 2007 to a departure every 2 hours in each direction.
June 2008: Casablanca - Settat; 34 trains a day between 5 a.m. and 9 p.m.^[3]

By steadily increasing the number and frequency of trains, the TNR has become part of daily life for a new generation of commuters, the "navetteurs".

Route map edit

References edit

^ ^a ^b "Trains Navettes Rapides". ONCF (in French). Archived from the original on May 4, 2012. Retrieved 26 October 2014.
^ Barbouch, Rachid (8 October 2011). "Le TGV marocain" [Moroccan TGV]. Le Monde (in French). Retrieved 26 October 2014.
^ "TNR Casablanca - Settat". L'Economiste (in French). Retrieved 26 October 2014.^{[dead link]}