ONCF

ONCF, short for Office national des chemins de fer, is Morocco’s national railway organization. It is a state-owned enterprise under the supervision of Morocco’s transport and logistics authorities and combines the roles of railway operator, infrastructure manager, and rail-development agency. Its responsibilities cover passenger services, freight transport, the construction and maintenance of railway lines, and the operation of businesses connected with rail transportation. The organization was created in 1963 when Morocco consolidated several previously separate railway companies, including the Compagnie des chemins de fer du Maroc, the Compagnie du chemin de fer du Maroc oriental, the Franco-Spanish Tanger–Fès company, and the Chemins de Fer de la Méditerranée au Niger. This consolidation placed the country’s principal railway assets under a unified national institution after independence and gave the Moroccan state direct control over rail operations and infrastructure. ONCF’s network is centered on a north–south Atlantic corridor linking Tangier, Rabat, Casablanca, and Marrakesh. A second major axis runs across northern Morocco from Oujda through Fez and Meknes toward Rabat. The network also includes freight-oriented routes and branches, including the connection from Taourirt to Nador and the freight link serving Tangier Med and industrial facilities. Where no railway reaches a destination, ONCF has used its Supratours subsidiary to provide connecting road transport from rail stations to cities and tourist destinations such as Agadir, Essaouira, and Tétouan. Passenger operations include conventional long-distance services, Casablanca-area commuter transportation, and overnight trains with sleeping compartments or couchettes on selected routes. Freight is an equally important part of the organization’s portfolio, with services for bulk commodities and industrial customers, including phosphate transportation and traffic associated with the Renault manufacturing and port complex. ONCF therefore functions not only as a public passenger carrier but also as a strategic logistics operator supporting Morocco’s mining, manufacturing, port, and export economies. A major turning point was the development of Morocco’s high-speed rail program. ONCF planned a high-speed corridor along the Atlantic axis and contracted Alstom to supply TGV-derived Duplex trainsets. The first completed section, connecting Tangier and Casablanca, entered service in 2018. The service substantially reduced travel time between the two cities and established Morocco as the first country in Africa to operate high-speed passenger trains. The line also formed the foundation for a broader program intended to extend high-speed services toward Rabat, Casablanca, and Marrakesh, while conventional lines and regional connections continue to serve the wider national network. As described in reference material for 2025, ONCF operates approximately 2,295 kilometers of railway lines and 3,848 kilometers of track, all using standard gauge; approximately 64 percent of the network is electrified. The organization employs thousands of people and remains a central component of Morocco’s transport infrastructure. Its current long-term direction combines high-speed passenger development, electrification, capacity upgrades, network extensions, improved intermodal connections, and continued freight modernization. Although proposals have periodically called for converting ONCF into a limited company wholly owned by the Moroccan state, the planned institutional transformation had not been completed in the cited material. Mohamed Rabie Khlie has served as director general since 2005.

Morocco’s railway system developed through several companies established during the colonial period and subsequently inherited and reorganized by the Moroccan state. The principal entities included the Compagnie des chemins de fer du Maroc, the Compagnie du chemin de fer du Maroc oriental, the Franco-Spanish Tanger–Fès company, and the Méditerranée–Niger railway company. In 1963, these operations were consolidated into the Office national des chemins de fer, known as ONCF. The new organization gave the state unified responsibility for operating trains and managing the national railway network. From its creation, ONCF’s remit extended beyond running passenger trains. It was charged with studying, building, operating, and maintaining railway infrastructure, as well as developing railway-related commercial activities. The organization consequently became both a transport provider and a national infrastructure institution. Its conventional network developed around two principal axes: a north–south corridor along Morocco’s Atlantic urban belt and an east–west connection linking Oujda with Fez, Meknes, and the Rabat area. These routes connected major population centers, ports, industrial zones, and inland markets. ONCF expanded its reach through branch-line projects and intermodal partnerships. The Taourirt–Nador branch, completed in the late 2000s, provided rail access to Nador and its port area, with infrastructure including underground sections in the city. The organization also operated freight-oriented routes serving ports and industrial facilities, including the Tangier Med area and the Renault factory. For cities without direct rail service, ONCF developed connecting coach operations through Supratours, linking railway stations with destinations such as Agadir, Essaouira, and Tétouan. Institutional reform has periodically been considered. In 2007, plans were announced to transform ONCF into a limited company wholly owned by the Moroccan state, to be called Société Marocaine des Chemins de Fer. The proposed change was not completed by the anticipated 2012 deadline. ONCF therefore continued in its established public-enterprise form under government supervision. The organization’s most consequential modernization project was Morocco’s high-speed rail program. Early proposals envisioned a high-speed connection from Tangier through Rabat and Casablanca toward Marrakesh, reducing travel times along the Atlantic corridor. Alstom was selected to supply TGV Duplex-derived trainsets, while European and Moroccan institutions participated in financing and project development. Construction of the first section began in 2011. The Tangier–Casablanca segment opened in 2018 as Morocco’s first high-speed railway and Africa’s first operational high-speed passenger rail system. The service, marketed as Al Boraq, reduced the journey between Tangier and Casablanca from approximately four hours and forty-five minutes to about two hours and ten minutes. Alongside high-speed development, ONCF continued improving conventional lines, electrification, capacity, rolling stock, and freight facilities. In the late 2010s it began receiving Prima M4 electric locomotives from Alstom. The broader network remains a mixture of electrified and diesel-operated routes, with many eastern sections using diesel traction and single-track infrastructure. Passenger services include long-distance Grandes Lignes trains, regional and urban services in the Casablanca area, and overnight trains using sleeping accommodation or couchettes on selected routes. Freight operations include phosphate transportation and other industrial commodities. By the 2020s, ONCF remained Morocco’s national railway operator and infrastructure authority. Reference material describes a network of approximately 2,295 kilometers of lines and 3,848 kilometers of track, built to standard gauge, with roughly 64 percent electrified. The organization is headquartered in Rabat and employs several thousand people. Its continuing strategic agenda is centered on extending high-speed rail, improving conventional services, expanding network capacity, supporting freight and ports, and strengthening rail connections between Morocco’s main cities and economic regions.

• 2019

  Prima M4 locomotive deliveries began

  [1]ONCFen.wikipedia.org

  ONCF received the first Prima M4 electric locomotive from a larger Alstom delivery program.

• 2018

  First Moroccan high-speed railway opened

  [1]ONCFen.wikipedia.org

  The Tangier–Casablanca high-speed section entered service, creating Morocco’s first high-speed passenger rail connection.

• 2011

  Tangier–Casablanca high-speed construction launched

  [1]ONCFen.wikipedia.org

  Construction formally began on the first phase of Morocco’s high-speed rail program.

• 2010

  Alstom trainset agreement

  [1]ONCFen.wikipedia.org

  ONCF signed an agreement with Alstom for 14 TGV Duplex-based trainsets for Morocco’s planned high-speed service.

• 2009

  Taourirt–Nador branch completed

  [1]ONCFen.wikipedia.org

  The new branch extended rail service to Nador and its port area and carried both passenger and freight traffic.

• 2007

  Proposed conversion into a state-owned limited company

  [1]ONCFen.wikipedia.org

  A plan was announced to reorganize ONCF as Société Marocaine des Chemins de Fer, a limited company fully owned by the Moroccan state. The proposed conversion was not completed by the planned 2012 target.

• 1963

  ONCF established

  [1]ONCFen.wikipedia.org

  Morocco created ONCF by consolidating several previously separate railway companies under a single state railway organization.

Morocco’s national, vertically integrated railway institution and the country’s leading provider of passenger rail, freight rail, and railway infrastructure services.

• High-speed passenger rail · 2018

  Al Boraq

  ONCF’s high-speed passenger service on the Tangier–Casablanca corridor. The service uses TGV Duplex-derived trainsets supplied by Alstom and operates on the first completed section of Morocco’s high-speed rail program. Its introduction in 2018 significantly shortened travel between northern Morocco and the Casablanca economic region and established a high-speed rail benchmark for the African continent.

• Intercity passenger rail

  Grandes Lignes

  ONCF’s conventional long-distance passenger network linking major Moroccan cities. Services operate along the Atlantic north–south corridor and the eastern west–east axis, connecting destinations including Tangier, Rabat, Casablanca, Marrakesh, Fez, Meknes, Oujda, and Nador. First-class services use assigned seating, while the network also includes selected overnight options.

• Overnight passenger rail

  Voyage de Nuit

  ONCF’s overnight train offering on selected long-distance routes. Depending on the service, accommodation may include private sleeping compartments or couchettes rather than ordinary seats. Cited routes have included Casablanca–Oujda, Marrakesh–Tangier, and Casablanca–Nador, allowing passengers to travel between distant regions during the night.

• Freight rail · 1963

  Rail freight services

  ONCF transports industrial and bulk commodities across Morocco, including phosphate traffic and freight associated with ports, manufacturing facilities, and logistics centers. Freight-only or freight-dominant routes include lines south of Oujda and links serving Tangier Med and the Renault industrial complex. Freight is a core part of ONCF’s national infrastructure role alongside passenger transportation.

• Connecting coach transportation

  Supratours

  ONCF’s connecting road-transport business provides coach links from railway stations to destinations not directly served by rail. It extends the practical reach of the rail network to places such as Agadir, Essaouira, and Tétouan and supports integrated rail-and-road journeys across Morocco.

• Rail rolling stock · 2019

  Prima M4 electric locomotives

  A fleet of Prima M4 electric locomotives supplied by Alstom for ONCF’s conventional railway operations. The first units were delivered in 2019 under an agreement for a larger group of locomotives, supporting the modernization and electrification of Morocco’s rail fleet.

• 2018

  Launch of Al BoraqProduct launch

  Background

  Morocco completed the first phase of its high-speed rail investment program after several years of infrastructure construction and rolling-stock procurement.

  Action taken

  ONCF opened high-speed passenger operations between Tangier and Casablanca.

  Aftermath

  The service reduced the journey to approximately two hours and ten minutes and positioned Morocco as the first African country with an operating high-speed passenger railway.

  Source

• 2011

  Launch of the Atlantic high-speed rail programStrategy

  Background

  ONCF sought to reduce travel times along Morocco’s principal Atlantic urban corridor and create a foundation for future high-speed extensions toward Marrakesh.

  Action taken

  Construction began on the first high-speed section between Tangier and Casablanca, with Alstom serving as the principal train supplier and French and European institutions participating in the broader project.

  Aftermath

  The first section opened in 2018 and became Morocco’s flagship rail modernization project.

  Source

• 2010

  Procurement of TGV Duplex trainsetsProduct launch

  Background

  ONCF needed rolling stock for Morocco’s planned Tangier–Casablanca high-speed railway.

  Action taken

  ONCF signed a contract with Alstom for 14 TGV Duplex-based trainsets.

  Aftermath

  The trainsets became the principal rolling stock for the high-speed service that opened in 2018.

  Source

• 2007

  Proposed institutional conversion to SMCFStrategy

  Background

  Morocco considered changing ONCF from its existing public-enterprise structure into a limited company wholly owned by the state.

  Action taken

  The proposed successor organization, Société Marocaine des Chemins de Fer, was announced with an intended implementation deadline around 2012.

  Aftermath

  The planned conversion did not materialize by the stated deadline, and ONCF continued operating as the national railway organization under government supervision.

  Source

1. 1ONCFen.wikipedia.org