Train Navette Rapide

Train Navette Rapide Casablanca-Kenitra
Train at Rabat-Ville railway station
Overview
Other name(s)	Aouita
Owner	Kingdom of Morocco
Termini	Casa-Port Kenitra-Medina
Service
Services	TNR Casablanca-Kenitra
Operator(s)	ONCF
Ridership	15 million (2010)
History
Opened	1984
Technical
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge

Train Navette Rapide ("Fast Shuttle Train", more commonly known as the "TNR" or "Aouita") is a Moroccan rail service operated by the ONCF. Its first phase runs from Casablanca to Kénitra 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 Casa-Port to Rabat-Ville. 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 EMUs, 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 and on to Kénitra, 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

TNR Casablanca-Kenitra
Casa-Port AB Moulay Ismail Blvd Towards Casa-Voyageurs and  RER  stations to Marrakech Grande Ceinture Blvd  N1  Mimosas Alley Ain Sabaâ AB Al Bina Blvd Zenata Bridge  P3004   P3004   N9  Zenata-Ain Harrouda (Future Station) AB Ghandi Blvd Oued Mellah Resistance Blvd Abdellah Ibn Yassin Blvd Sebta Blvd Mohammedia Resistance Blvd Mohamed VI Blvd  A1  Oued Nfifikh  R313   R313   R3304  Oued Guetaya Oued Bouznika Bouznika  P3331 Oued Cherrat Shikrate  A5   P4021 Oued Ikkem  P4022 Temara LB Gaza Blvd Mohamed VI Av. Allal Ben Abdellah Av.  N1   A1  Hay Ryad (Future Station) LB R.A.F Av. Ibn Rochd Av. Rabat-Agdal LB Fal Ould Oumeir Av. Bin Al Ouidane Av. Rabat-Ville LB Oued Bouregreg Ain Houalla Road Green March Av.  N6  Salé-Ville LB Mohamed V Av. Salé-Tabriquet LB Assalam Av. Moulay Rachid Av.  P4004 Boulknadel  P4002  P4268 South Ring road Kenitra Maintenance Center Kenitra-Ville Youssef Ben Tachfine Av. Mohamed V Av. Kenitra-Médina

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 signalling.
• Construction of the Al Boraq 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.

Expansion

The TNR concept has been rolled out to other lines:

• June 1993: Casablanca – Mohammed V International Airport; this route was renamed Al Bidaoui in 2002 after service upgrades.
• June 2002: Casablanca – El Jadida; service was increased in June 2007 to a departure every 2 hours in each direction.
• June 2008: Casablanca - Settat; 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 "navetteurs".

Route map

See also

• Rail transport in Morocco

External links

• ONCF official website