Mediterranean–Niger Railway Explained

Mediterranean-Niger-Railway Chemins de Fer de la Méditerranée au Niger
Maxincline:	Adhesion 35  % Rack rail  %

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 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.
• 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

Notes and References

1. English name following Strack.
2. Web site: Railroads of North Africa.
3. see: Faur; Pottier
4. Web site: France - Globe24h . 2010-05-11 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20110711101604/http://france.globe24h.com/lex/jorf/008/00865/0000865263.shtml . 2011-07-11 .
5. Web site: Archived copy . 2010-05-06 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20110116025018/http://www.alger-roi.net/Alger/transports/bouchet/pages/8_transsaharien_bouchet.htm . 2011-01-16 .