Mediterranean–Niger Railway

Mediterranean–Niger Railway
Technical
Line length	275 km (171 mi)
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in)
Maximum incline	Adhesion 35  % Rack rail  %
Route map 0 Ghazaouet (Nemours) 387 ft Djeman Salera from Algiers Algeria / Morocco Oujda 1804 ft to Fès Tendrara 4507 ft Oued Oumm-el-Oudah 4101 ft 288.9 0 P.K. 0 4248 ft 21 Bou-Arfa (CMO) 4163 ft Tamlelt (MN) 3674 ft 111 Kerzaz 1148 ft Morocco / Algeria 275 0 Colomb-Béchar 2454 ft 21 Kénaza 15 Béchar-I? 2454 ft 70 Ksi-Kou 90 Abadla 1932 ft

The Mediterranean-Niger-Railway (MN)[1] (French: Chemins de Fer de la Méditerranée au Niger) was a railway in Western Africa.

The Mediterranean-Niger Railway was built between the coal mining region near Bou Arfa in the east of Morocco and the Algerian rail system at Oujda, completed as a standard gauge route between Oran and Oujda in 1922, while Fes was reached in 1934.[2]

In 1940/41, construction was begun on the Algerian segment of the Mediterranean-Niger-Railway as part of the Trans-Saharan Railway. The line made a connection with the Moroccan segment, which had been completed in 1931, at Bou Arfa and continued into Algeria to connect with the 1,055 mm (3 ft 5+1⁄2 in) narrow gauge line Oran - Colomb-Béchar built in 1910.[3]

In 1963, Morocco nationalized its railroad system under the name of Moroccan Railways (Office National des Chemins de Fer du Maroc ONCF). MN was liquidated.[4] The part of MN from the Southern border to Colomb-Béchar was closed.[5] Colomb-Béchar was still reached by the narrow gauge line.

References

• Bejui, Dominique and Pascal: Exploits et fantasmes transsahariens : 80 ans de traversées sahariennes abouties ou rêvées en auto, en camion, en train et en avion. Chanac: La Regordane, 1994. ISBN 2-906984-19-1
• Guide Michelin, 1956.
• Lartilleux: Géographie des chemins de fer français. vol. 3. Chaix, 1949.
• Pottier, René: Le Transsaharien - Liaison d'Empire. Sorlot, 1941.
• Georges Bouchet: Les voies ferrées de pénétration sahariennes hors Algérie : Le Transsaharien
• List of sources in Mali
• Jean-Claude Faur, "La mise en valeur ferroviaire de l'AOF (1880-1939)" (Universite de Paris: Thèse de doctorat, Faculté de Lettres, 1969)
• Le Transsaharrien

1. English name following Strack.
2. "Railroads of North Africa".
3. see: Faur; Pottier
4. "France - Globe24h". Archived from the original on 2011-07-11. Retrieved 2010-05-11.
5. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2011-01-16. Retrieved 2010-05-06.