The National Rail Transportation Company (, , abbreviated SNTF) is

Algeria Algeria, officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It is bordered to Algeria–Tunisia border, the northeast by Tunisia; to Algeria–Libya border, the east by Libya; to Alger ...

's national

railway Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport using wheeled vehicles running in railway track, tracks, which usually consist of two parallel steel railway track, rails. Rail transport is one of the two primary means of ...

operator. The SNTF, a

state-owned State ownership, also called public ownership or government ownership, is the ownership of an industry, asset, property, or enterprise by the national government of a country or state, or a public body representing a community, as opposed to ...

company, currently has a

monopoly A monopoly (from Greek language, Greek and ) is a market in which one person or company is the only supplier of a particular good or service. A monopoly is characterized by a lack of economic Competition (economics), competition to produce ...

over Algeria's rail network of , although it is currently utilising only . Out of the total railway network, are ( of these are

electrified Electrification is the process of powering by electricity and, in many contexts, the introduction of such power by changing over from an earlier power source. In the context of history of technology and economic development, electrification refe ...

) and are

narrow gauge A narrow-gauge railway (narrow-gauge railroad in the US) is a railway with a track gauge (distance between the rails) narrower than . Most narrow-gauge railways are between and . Since narrow-gauge railways are usually built with Minimum railw ...

(as of 2008).

History

The beginnings

The history of the railway in Algeria began with the colonisation of the country by

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

. On 8 April 1857, a

decree A decree is a law, legal proclamation, usually issued by a head of state, judge, monarch, royal figure, or other relevant Authority, authorities, according to certain procedures. These procedures are usually defined by the constitution, Legislativ ...

ordered the creation of of railways, beginning with the construction of a standard gauge line from

Algiers Algiers is the capital city of Algeria as well as the capital of the Algiers Province; it extends over many Communes of Algeria, communes without having its own separate governing body. With 2,988,145 residents in 2008Census 14 April 2008: Offi ...

Blida Blida () is a city in Algeria. It is the capital of Blida Province, and it is located about 45 km south-west of Algiers, the national capital. The name ''Blida'', i.e. ''bulaydah'', is a diminutive of the Arabic word ''belda'', city. Ge ...

, which started on 12 December 1859. The French

private company A privately held company (or simply a private company) is a company whose Stock, shares and related rights or obligations are not offered for public subscription or publicly negotiated in their respective listed markets. Instead, the Private equi ...

''Compagnie des chemins de fer algériens'' started working on the line with the help of the

French army The French Army, officially known as the Land Army (, , ), is the principal Army, land warfare force of France, and the largest component of the French Armed Forces; it is responsible to the Government of France, alongside the French Navy, Fren ...

on 11 July 1860. Around the same time, the company obtained permission to create an

Oran Oran () is a major coastal city located in the northwest of Algeria. It is considered the second most important city of Algeria, after the capital, Algiers, because of its population and commercial, industrial and cultural importance. It is w ...

- Sig line and a

Constantine Constantine most often refers to: * Constantine the Great, Roman emperor from 306 to 337, also known as Constantine I * Constantine, Algeria, a city in Algeria Constantine may also refer to: People * Constantine (name), a masculine g ...

Skikda Skikda (; formerly Philippeville from 1838 to 1962 and Rusicade in ancient times) is a city in northeastern Algeria and a port on the Mediterranean. It is the capital of Skikda Province and Skikda District. History The Phoenicians and Carthagi ...

line. However, due to economic difficulties, only the Algiers-Blida line was finished, and it was subsequently opened to the public on 8 September 1862. Afterwards, 5 other companies started the construction of new lines: *''La Compagnie

Bône Annaba (), formerly known as Bon, Bona and Bône, is a seaport city in the northeastern corner of Algeria, close to the border with Tunisia. Annaba is near the small Seybouse River and is in the Annaba Province. With a population of about 263,65 ...

Guelma Guelma ( ''Qālima''; ; Algerian pronunciation: ) is the capital of Guelma Province and Guelma District, located in north-eastern Algeria, about 65 kilometers from the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean coast. Its location corresponds to that o ...

'' (''BG'') *''La Compagnie de l'Est Algérien'' (''EA'') (Eastern Algeria) *''La Compagnie Paris - Lyon - Méditerranée'' (''PLM'') *''La Compagnie de l'Ouest Algérien'' (''OA'') (Western Algeria) *''La Compagnie Franco - Algérienne'' (''FA'') Between 1857 and 1878, the following lines (or parts of them) were finished, totalling , which exceeded initial expectations: *Annaba -

Berrahal Barrahel is a town in north-eastern Algeria Algeria, officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It is bordered to Algeria–Tunisia border, the northeast by Tunisia; to Alger ...

*Annaba - Bouchegouf - Guelma *

El Khroub El Khroub (Amazigh: ⵍⵅⵔⵓⴱ, ) is a town and commune in Constantine Province, Algeria. According to the 2008 census it has a population of 179,033.Oued Zenati Oued Zenati is a town and commune in Guelma Province, Algeria. According to the 1998 census it had a population of 27,254 which progressed to reach 55,000 in 2010. History During the Numidian era (399BC-50BC), the region was highly cultivated ...

*Constantine -

Sétif Sétif () is the capital city of the Sétif Province and the 5th most populous city of Algeria, with an estimated population of 1.866.845 in 2017). It is one of the most important cities of eastern Algeria and the country as a whole, since it is c ...

*Algiers -

Thénia Thénia (), sometimes written as Thenia, with around 40,000 inhabitants, is the chief town in the ''daïra'' of the same name, in the ''wilaya'' of Boumerdès, in northern Algeria. Historically, the name is a contraction of "Theniet Beni Aicha" (� ...

*Algiers - Oran *

Arzew Arzew or Arzeu (, ) is a seaport, port city in Algeria, 25 miles (40 km) from Oran. It is the capital of Arzew District, Oran Province. History Antiquity Like the rest of the Maghreb, the site of modern-day Arzew was originally in ...

- La Macta -

Mohammedia Mohammedia (), known until 1960 as Fedala (), is a port city on the west coast of Morocco between Casablanca and Rabat in the region of Casablanca-Settat. It hosts the most important oil refinery of Morocco, Samir Refinery, which makes it the cen ...

*Mohammadia -

Mécheria Mécheria is a city situated in Naâma Province, Algeria in the Atlas Mountains, capital of Mécheria District, known for its cold winter and livestock life. As of 2020, it had a population of around 120,000, making it the most populous commune in ...

Oued Tlélat Oued Tlélat is a town and commune in Oran Province, Algeria Algeria, officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It is bordered to Algeria–Tunisia border, the northeast by ...

Sidi Bel Abbès Sidi Bel Abbès (), also called Bel Abbès, is the capital''Sidi Bel Abbes'', lexicorient.com (Encyclopaedia of the Orient), internet article. of the Sidi Bel Abbès wilaya, Algeria. It is named after Sidi bel Abbass, a Muslim marabout or noble ...

Nationalisation

After 1879, France divided the railway lines being built into categories of ''local interest'' or of ''general interest'', with only the latter being eligible to receive state funding. The 18 July 1879 decree defined the extent of some "general interest" lines and ordered the construction of a further of railways to expand the existing network. Between 1879 and 1906, the following lines (or parts of them) were finished, totalling : *

Souk Ahras Souk Ahras () is a municipality in Algeria. It is the capital of Souk Ahras Province. The Numidian city of Thagaste (or Tagaste), on whose ruins Souk Ahras was built, was the birthplace of Augustine of Hippo and a center of Berber culture. Etym ...

—

Tébessa Tébessa or Tebessa ( ''Tibissa'', ''Tbessa'' or ''Tibesti''), the classical Theveste, is the capital city of Tébessa Province in northeastern Algeria, near the border with Tunisia. It hosts several historical landmarks, the most important o ...

— Le Kouif—

Tunisia Tunisia, officially the Republic of Tunisia, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It is bordered by Algeria to the west and southwest, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Tunisia also shares m ...

n border *

— Ramdane Djamel * Ouled Rahmoune—

Khenchela Khenchela (; ; anciently Mascula) is the capital city of the administrative Khenchela Province ('' Wilaya''), in the north east of Algeria. Situated in the Aures Mountains, 1200 m above sea level. The city is mainly populated by Berber Cha ...

El Guerrah EL, El or el may refer to: Arts and entertainment Fictional entities * El, a character from the manga series ''Shugo Chara!'' by Peach-Pit * Eleven (''Stranger Things'') (El), a fictional character in the TV series ''Stranger Things'' * El, fami ...

—

Biskra Biskra () is the capital city of Biskra Province, Algeria. In 2007, its population was recorded as 307,987. Biskra is located in northeastern Algeria, about from Algiers, southwest of Batna, Algeria, Batna and north of Touggourt. It is nickna ...

—

with further lines to include

Tizi Ouzou Tizi Ouzou or Thizi Wezzu (, Kabyle: Tizi Wezzu) is a city in north central Algeria, and capital of Tizi Ouzou Province and Tizi Ouzou District. It is among the largest cities in Algeria. It is the second most populous city in the Kabylia reg ...

, Béjaia and

Sour El-Ghozlane Sour El-Ghizlane (or Souk El Ghoziane) is a town and commune in Algeria's central-northern, just-landlocked Bouïra Province. According to the 1998 census it has a population of 42,179. History Pre Historic A prehistoric tool (biface) testify ...

—

Berrouaghia Berrouaghia is a town and commune in Médéa Province, Algeria. According to the 1998 census, it has a population of 58,780. History Berrouaghia's historical significance dates back to the Roman Empire The Roman Empire ruled the Mediterran ...

Mostaganem Mostaganem () is a port city in and capital of Mostaganem (province), Mostaganem province, in the northwest of Algeria. The city, founded in the 11th century lies on the Gulf of Arzew, Mediterranean Sea and is 72 km ENE of Oran. It is consi ...

—

Relizane Relizane or Ghilizan (Arabic: غلیزان; is a city in Algeria. It is the capital city of Relizane Province. Toponymy The name of Relizane comes from the Berber ⵉⵖⵉⵍ ⵉⵣⵣⴰⵏ (Iɣil Izzan) which means “burnt / grilled hill” ...

—

Tiaret Tiaret () or Tahert () is a major city in northwestern Algeria that gives its name to the wider farming region of Tiaret Province. Both the town and region lie south-west of the capital of Algiers in the western region of the Hautes Plaines, i ...

—

Es Sénia Es Senia () (formerly La Sénia) is a municipality in Oran Province, Algeria Algeria, officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It is bordered to Algeria–Tunisia border, t ...

—

Aïn Témouchent Aïn Témouchent () is a city in north-western Algeria, it is the capital of Aïn Témouchent Province. Aïn Témouchent is located 72 km (or 44.7 miles) south-west of Oran, a city with which it is closely associated, and 63 km (or 39.1 miles) w ...

—

Tlemcen Tlemcen (; ) is the second-largest city in northwestern Algeria after Oran and is the capital of Tlemcen Province. The city has developed leather, carpet, and textile industries, which it exports through the port of Rachgoun. It had a population of ...

— Moroccan border * Tabia— Crampel * Méchéria—

Béchar Béchar () is the capital city of Béchar Province, Algeria. It is also a commune, coextensive with Béchar District, of Béchar Province. In 2008 the city had a population of 165,627, up from 134,954 in 1998, with an annual growth rate of 2.1% ...

Tizi Tizi is a town and commune in Mascara Province, Algeria Algeria, officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It is bordered to Algeria–Tunisia border, the northeast by Tuni ...

—

Mascara Mascara (, ) is a Cosmetics, cosmetic commonly used to enhance the upper and lower eyelashes. It is used to darken, thicken, lengthen, and/or define the eyelashes. Normally in one of three forms—liquid, powder, or cream—the modern mascara p ...

In 1946, Algeria's total railway network comprised a total of of active lines, in addition to

mine Mine, mines, miners or mining may refer to: Extraction or digging *Miner, a person engaged in mining or digging *Mining, extraction of mineral resources from the ground through a mine Grammar *Mine, a first-person English possessive pronoun M ...

lines, significantly more than the current network. After a while, the private companies were unable to maintain economic stability, which led the French government to buy the ''Franco - Algérienne'', ''Est Algérien'', '' Bône-Guelma'' and ''Ouest Algérien'' in 1900, 1908, 1905 and 1920 respectively. On 27 September 1912, the state-owned ''Compagnie des Chemins de Fer Algériens de l'Etat'' (CFAE) assumed control of all lines, except those owned by the ''Compagnie Paris - Lyon - Méditerranée''. On 1 July 1921, the CFAE and PLM agreed to share the Algerian railway network with the PLM operating the Algiers-Oran, Oran-Aïn Témouchent, Sidi Bel Abbès-Tlemcen-

Oujda Oujda (, ) is a major city in northeast Morocco near the Algeria–Morocco border, border with Algeria. Oujda is the capital city of the Oriental (Morocco), Oriental region of northeastern Morocco and has a population of 506,224 people (2024 censu ...

-Crampel, Blida-Hassi Bahbah lines (effectively Western Algeria) while the CFAE operated the rest. On 30 May 1938, both companies were incorporated into the newly founded

SNCF The Société nationale des chemins de fer français (, , SNCF ) is France's national State-owned enterprise, state-owned railway company. Founded in 1938, it operates the Rail transport in France, country's national rail traffic along with th ...

, which operated all of

's railway network, with the Algerian network becoming a ''région''. On 1 January 1939, the ''Office des Chemins de fer Algériens'' (''Office CFA'') was created, focusing on the Algerian network. On 30 June 1959, an agreement was made between the French government and the OCFA leading to the creation of the ''Société des Chemins de Fer Français en Algérie'' which commenced operations on 1 January 1, 1960. This new company operated Algeria's railways until its replacement by the ''Société Nationale des Chemins de Fer Algériens'' ''(SNCFA)'' on 16 June 1963, a year after

Algeria's independence The Algerian War (also known as the Algerian Revolution or the Algerian War of Independence) ''; '' (and sometimes in Algeria as the ''War of 1 November'') was an armed conflict between France and the Algerian National Liberation Front (FLN) ...

Post-Independence

On 30 March 1976, the SNCFA split into the following companies: *SNTF, for the operation and maintenance of the lines; *SNERIF, for the renewal and extension of the network; *SIF, for the engineering and modernisation of the infrastructure. This reorganisation was intended to improve the railway network and services in Algeria, however it proved unsuccessful, and the two latter companies were reintegrated into the SNTF. In 1980, a convention for the relations between the Algerian state and the SNTF was signed, officially called ''decree N° 88-128 of 28 June 1988''. This convention is still in effect and regulates the

salaries A salary is a form of periodic payment from an employer to an employee, which may be specified in an employment contract. It is contrasted with piece wages, where each job, hour or other unit is paid separately, rather than on a periodic basis. Sa ...

of the workers and the maintenance of the infrastructure, and bears similarities with the June 1959 convention. In December 1990, the SNTF became an Établissement Public à caractère Industriel et Commercial (EPIC).

Recent investments

Large investment programs were launched after 1980 to improve the Algerian railway network, such as the construction of the

Jijel Jijel (), the classical Igilgili, is the capital of Jijel Province in north-eastern Algeria. It is flanked by the Mediterranean Sea in the region of Corniche Jijelienne and had a population of 131,513 in 2008. Jijel is the administrative and trad ...

- Ramdane-Djamel line (), the

Béni Saf Beni Saf () is a town in northwestern Algeria, about 80 kilometers southwest of Oran. The town was founded in 1876 as a shipping port for iron ore, which is mined just south of the town. Other products of the town include zinc, marble and onyx, and ...

area railway, providing transportation for its

cement A cement is a binder, a chemical substance used for construction that sets, hardens, and adheres to other materials to bind them together. Cement is seldom used on its own, but rather to bind sand and gravel ( aggregate) together. Cement mi ...

plant (), and in the Saïda (23 km) and

Aïn Touta Aïn Touta is a town in eastern Algeria. It is located 35 km southwest of Batna City, Batna and 82 km north of Biskra. It has an area of about five square kilometers (2 square miles). Aïn Touta is one of the interesting cities in Alger ...

areas (). In addition to that, about of track were replaced, both the

track ballast Track ballast is the material which forms the trackbed upon which railroad ties (UK: sleepers) are laid. It is packed between, below, and around the ties. It is used to bear the compression load of the railroad ties, rails, and rolling stock; ...

and the

railway tie A railroad tie, crosstie (American English), railway tie (Canadian English Canadian English (CanE, CE, en-CA) encompasses the Variety (linguistics), varieties of English language, English used in Canada. According to the 2016 Canadian ...

s, as well as the duplication of the tracks of the ''Rocade Nord'' in Algiers (about ). Many

train station A train station, railroad station, or railway station is a railway facility where trains stop to load or unload passengers, freight, or both. It generally consists of at least one platform, one track, and a station building providing suc ...

s all over the country were modernised or even reconstructed, and there were also many improvements to the railways in the vicinities of Algiers and Annaba. A new, separate organisation, Anesrif, has been created to manage infrastructure investment whilst SNTF concentrates on day-to-day operations. Anesrif has awarded a series of contracts to build new infrastructure and upgrade existing lines, including the construction of a single-track line from

and

Tissemsilt Tissemsilt () is a municipality in Algeria. It is the capital of Tissemsilt Province and Tissemsilt District Tissemsilt is a district in Tissemsilt Province, Algeria. It was named after its capital, Tissemsilt, which is also the capital of the ...

, forming part of the High Plateau line.

Rolling stock

As of 2017, SNTF's rolling stock inventory consisted of: * 258

Locomotives A locomotive is a rail vehicle that provides the motive power for a train. Traditionally, locomotives pulled trains from the front. However, push–pull operation has become common, and in the pursuit for longer and heavier freight train ...

* 10,129

Railway car A railroad car, railcar ( American and Canadian English), railway wagon, railway carriage, railway truck, railwagon, railcarriage or railtruck (British English and UIC), also called a train car, train wagon, train carriage or train truc ...

s * 380

Passenger car A car, or an automobile, is a motor vehicle with wheels. Most definitions of cars state that they run primarily on roads, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport people rather than cargo. There are around one billio ...

s *17

Alstom Coradia The Alstom Coradia is a family of diesel multiple units, electric multiple units, and unpowered Railroad_car, rail cars for Inter-city rail, intercity and Regional rail, regional service manufactured by Alstom, with variants operating in Europ ...

- built at

De Dietrich Ferroviaire CAF Reichshoffen, formerly De Dietrich Ferroviaire (DDF) is a French manufacturer of railway rolling stock and operated by CAF France, based in Reichshoffen, France. It was formed as a division of the De Dietrich group, which has a history going ...

plant in

Reichshoffen Reichshoffen (, or ; ; Alsatian: ''Risshoffe'') is a commune in the Bas-Rhin department in Grand Est in north-eastern France. Église Saint-Michel de Reichshoffen was built in 1772. Economy Reichshoffen is home to CAF Reichshoffen railcar ...

, France *17

CAF CAF or caf may refer to: Armed forces *Canadian Armed Forces (Canadian Forces), the Canadian Air Force, Army, and Navy *Canadian Air Force, now the Royal Canadian Air Force *Republic of China Air Force, the air force of the Republic of China (Tai ...

TDMD S/599 *64

Stadler Flirt Stadler FLIRT (, ) is a passenger multiple unit trainset made by Stadler Rail of Switzerland. The baseline design of FLIRT is an electric multiple unit Articulated car, articulated trainset that can come in units of two to twelve cars with two t ...

File:SNTF ZZe-02 - Metz - 2018.jpg, Mainline train

ZZe-02 File:Train Automotor diésel ZZ 2202 de la SNTF (Algérie).jpg,

Regional rail Regional rail is a public transport, public rail transport service that operates between towns and cities. These trains operate with more stops than inter-city rail, and unlike commuter rail, operate beyond the limits of urban areas, connectin ...

"Inter-villes" Autorail TDMD S/599 File:Swiss Flirt for SNTF Algeria.jpg,

Commuter rail Commuter rail or suburban rail is a Passenger train, passenger rail service that primarily operates within a metropolitan area, connecting Commuting, commuters to a Central business district, central city from adjacent suburbs or commuter town ...

File:SNTF Train in El Asnam, on the Algiers-Skikda line.jpg, Locomotive GT36HCW with

passenger cars A car, or an automobile, is a motor vehicle with wheels. Most definitions of cars state that they run primarily on roads, Car seat, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport private transport#Personal transport, peopl ...

File:SNTF Class 060DR, Gare d'Oran.jpg

Railway links to adjacent countries

gauge links were built to both

Morocco Morocco, officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It has coastlines on the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to Algeria–Morocc ...

and

. The Algeria-Tunisia railway resumed operation in August 2024, after several years of closure, while the land border with Morocco has been closed since 1994.

Affiliations

The SNTF is a member of the following organisations: *

African Union of Railways The African Union of Railways is an organisation under the auspices of the new African Union dealing with railways. It is similar to the International Union of Railways (UIC). Overview Africa's railways are disjointed and disconnected. The A ...

Arab Union of Railways Arabs (, , ; , , ) are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in West Asia and North Africa. A significant Arab diaspora is present in various parts of the world. Arabs have been in the Fertile Crescent for thousands of years ...

* Comité du Transport Ferroviaire Maghrebin (CTFM) (has its headquarters in Algiers) *

International Union of Railways The International Union of Railways (, UIC) is an international rail transport industry body based in Paris. History The railways of Europe had originated during the nineteenth century as many separate concerns across numerous nations; this le ...

(UIC)

References and notes

External links

*
EngRailHistory
The Railways of Morocco, Tunisia, and Algeria ''(Internet Archive)'' {{DEFAULTSORT:National Company For Rail Transport 1055 mm gauge railways in Algeria Algerian brands Companies based in Algiers Railway companies of Algeria Rapid transit in Algeria Algerian companies established in 1976 Standard-gauge railways in Algeria