''Train Navette Rapide'' ("Fast Shuttle Train", more commonly known as the "TNR" or "Aouita") is a Moroccan rail service operated by the

ONCF ONCF (from French: ''Office National des Chemins de Fer''; ''al-Maktab al-Waṭaniyy lis-Sikak al-Ḥadīdiyyah''; ''Moroccan National Railways Office'') is Morocco's national railway operator. ONCF is a state-owned company that is under the c ...

. Its first phase runs from

Casablanca Casablanca (, ) is the largest city in Morocco and the country's economic and business centre. Located on the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coast of the Chaouia (Morocco), Chaouia plain in the central-western part of Morocco, the city has a populatio ...

Kénitra Kenitra (, , , ) is a city in northwestern Morocco. It is a port on the Sebou River with a population of 507,736 as of 2024. It is one of the three main cities of the Rabat-Salé-Kénitra region and the capital of the similarly named Kénitra P ...

with a half-hourly service in each direction, between 6 a.m. and 9.30 p.m. The concept was based on existing Moroccan transport links.

TNR Casablanca - Kenitra

History

On 21 May 1984, following the doubling of the Casablanca—Rabat line, the TNR made its first journey on the line from to . 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

EMU The emu (; ''Dromaius novaehollandiae'') is a species of flightless bird endemism, endemic to Australia, where it is the Tallest extant birds, tallest native bird. It is the only extant taxon, extant member of the genus ''Dromaius'' and the ...

s, 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 Salé (, ) is a city in northwestern Morocco, on the right bank of the Bou Regreg river, opposite the national capital Rabat, for which it serves as a commuter town. Along with some smaller nearby towns, Rabat and Salé form together a single m ...

and on to

, 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.

Route map

Plans

Service improvements

* Increase of train frequency to 15 minute intervals, and 5 minute intervals in peak hours. This will be possible with the implementation of

ETCS The European Train Control System (ETCS) is a train protection system designed to replace the many incompatible systems used by European railways, and railways outside of Europe. ETCS is the signalling and control component of the European ...

signalling. * Construction of the

Al Boraq Al Boraq () is a high-speed rail service between Casablanca and Tangier in Morocco. The first of its kind on the African continent, it opened on 15 November 2018 after a decade of planning and construction by ONCF, Morocco's national railway c ...

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.

Extension

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 Sidi Yahya El Gharb is a town in Sidi Slimane Province, Rabat-Salé-Kénitra, Morocco. At the 2004 census, its population was 31,705. Prior to June 2010, Sidi Yahya El Gharb was in Kénitra Province Kenitra Province () is a province in the Moroc ...

Expansion

The TNR concept has been rolled out to other lines: * June 1993:

–

Mohammed V International Airport Mohammed V International Airport is an international airport serving Casablanca, Morocco. Located in Nouaceur Province, it is operated by ONDA (). With about 7.6 million passengers passing through the airport in 2022, it was the busiest airp ...

; this route was renamed Al Bidaoui in 2002 after service upgrades. * June 2002:

–

El Jadida El Jadida (, ) is a major port city on the Atlantic coast of Morocco, located south of the city of Casablanca, in the province of El Jadida and the region of Casablanca-Settat. It has a population of 170,956 as of 2023. The fortified city, b ...

; service was increased in June 2007 to a departure every 2 hours in each direction. * June 2008:

Settat Settat () is a city in Morocco between the national capital Rabat and Marrakesh. Settat is located by road south of the centre of Casablanca, roughly an hour's drive. It is the capital of Settat Province and is its largest city in both size and ...

; 34 trains a day between 5 a.m. and 9 p.m. By steadily increasing the number and frequency of trains, the TNR has become part of daily life for a new generation of commuters, the "".

Route map

References

{{reflist

External links

ONCF official website
Passenger rail transport in Morocco Railway services introduced in 1984 Standard-gauge railways in Morocco

TNR Casablanca - Kenitra

History

Route map

Plans

Service improvements

Extension

Expansion

Route map

See also

References

External links