Trip to Morocco - March 2013
General Notes
This trip was planned to take part in a five-day railtour organised by PTG and was my first visit to Africa. An extra couple of days were planned to cover some of the lines in the north of Morocco.
Operating Company Abbreviations:
- CT - Casa Tramway www.casatramway.ma
- NT - Northern Trains
- ONCF - Office National des Chemins de Fer (Marocain)
- RM - RATP Metrolink (operator of Greater Manchester Metrolink)
- TRS - Tram Rabat-Salé www.tram-way.ma
| Place | Arrive | Depart | Train | Traction details & notes |
Saturday 16th March 2013
| Timperley | 11:40 | - | RM tram 3045 | |
| Manchester Piccadilly | 12:05 | 12:14 | - | NT EMU 323??? |
| Manchester Airport (MAN) | 12:29 | 15:35 | EZY-1893 | Easyjet Airbus A320 G-EZCT delayed 35 mins due to water bowser problem |
| Marrakech Airport (RAK) | 19:25 | |||
| Overnight at Hotel Tichka, Marrakech (2 nights) | ||||
| Notes Simple rail route to the airport. First time in Africa...... PTG provided a coach from the airport to the hotel. |
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Sunday 17th March 2013
| Marrakech (photo) | 13:00 | 608 | ONCF EL E-1408 + 12C (photo - photo) | |
| Benguerir | 13:54 | 15:03 | 609 | ONCF EL E-1403 + 12C (photo) |
| Marrakech | 16:05 | |||
| Overnight at Hotel Tichka, Marrakech | ||||
| Notes The day started with a PTG-organised visit to the depot at Marrakech (photo - photo - photo), followed by a private run up the line to Benguerir and back. |
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Monday 18th March 2013
| Marrakech | 08:10 | V15122 | ONCF DL DH-372 + 4C PTG Charter Train | |
| Benguerir | 09:04 | 09:55 | V15155 | Run round (photo - photo) |
| Youssoufia | 10:37 | 11:00 | Photo Stop (photo - photo) | |
| Safi | 12:05 | (photo) | ||
| Overnight at Hotel Golden Tulip, Safi | ||||
| Notes We had been promised that the train would run down to the docks at Safi, but this did not prove possible. A visit to Safi depot followed (photo). Time was available for a walk around Safi (photo). |
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Tuesday 19th March 2013
| Safi (photo - photo) | 09:05 | V15124 | ONCF DL DH-372 + 4C PTG Charter Train dep 42 late due to defective coach | |
| Benguerir | 10:51 | 11:11 | V15126 | |
| Casablanca Voyageurs | 13:55 | 13:58 | ||
| Casablanca Port (photo - photo) | 14:10 | arr 6 late | ||
| Place Nations Unies | 15:39 | - | CT tram 037 + 038 | |
| Sidi Moumen Terminus (photo) | 16:25 | 16:33 | - | CT tram 020 + 004 |
| Aïn Diab Plage Terminus | 17:50 | 17:51 | - | CT tram 059 + 060 |
| Ab del Moumen | 18:14 | 18:17 | - | CT tram 045 + 046 |
| Facultés Terminus | 18:37 | 18:49 | - | CT tram 046 + 045 |
| Place Nations Unies | 19:20 | |||
| Overnight at Novotel Casablanca City Centre, close to Casablanca Port station (4 nights) | ||||
| Notes We had been promised that the train would run into the port area at Casablanca, but this did not prove possible. The spare time was used to do a full trip around the new Casablanca tram system, only opened in December 2012. This has one long route to Sidi Moumen in the east, and two western branches to Aïn Diab Plage and Facultés. |
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Wednesday 20th March 2013
| Casablanca Port | 08:10 | V15117 | ONCF DL DH-372 + 4C PTG Charter Train (photo) | |
| Oued Zem | 10:58 | 11:30 | V15128 | Run round arr/dep 35 late (photo - photo) |
| Khourigba | 12:31 | 12:55 | Photo Stop dep 44 late (photo) | |
| Tamdrost | 13:57 | 14:10 | Photo Stop dep 48 late | |
| Casablanca Port | 16:06 | |||
| Overnight at Novotel Casablanca City Centre | ||||
| Notes The long branch to Oued Zem sees few passenger trains, and coverage on service trains requires an overnight stay at the end of the line. After arrival back at Casablanca we had a visit to the Hassan II Grand Mosque (photo) and then walked through the souk (photo - photo). |
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Thursday 21st March 2013
| Casablanca Port | 08:10 | V15119 | ONCF EL E-1414 + 4C PTG Charter Train | |
| Bouskoura | 08:38 | 08:45 | Photo Stop (photo) | |
| Aéroport Mohammed V | 08:58 | 10:15 | V15130 | Run Round (photo - photo) |
| * Bouskoura | 10:30 | 11:00 | V15139 | * ONCF DL DH-372 (photo - photo) |
| Jorf Lasfar 102.4km | 12:36 | 12:59 | V15154 | Run Round (photo - photo) |
| El Jadida | 13:17 | 16:05 | Visit to town (photo - photo) | |
| Casablanca Port | 18:20 | |||
| Overnight at Novotel Casablanca City Centre | ||||
| Notes Casablanca airport station is underground so is barred to diesel locomotives. We expected to go further at Jorf Lasfar, but we did have a few hours looking around the interesting town of El Jadida. |
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Friday 22nd March 2013
| Casablanca Port | 08:30 | 9 | ONCF EMU Z2M109 + Z2M107 | |
| Rabat Ville (photo - photo) | 09:47 | |||
| Mohammed V Gare de Rabat (photo) | 10:26 | 'T1' | TRS tram 018 + 037 | |
| Hay Karima | 10:49 | 12:15 | 'T1' | TRS tram 034 + 032 |
| Bab Lamrissa | 12:27 | 12:32 | 'T2' | TRS tram 044 |
| Hassan II | 12:38 | 12:45 | 'T2' | TRS tram 044 |
| Hôpital Moulay Youssef | 13:10 | 13:14 | 'T2' | TRS tram 008 + 017 |
| Médina Rabat | 13:24 | 13:30 | 'T2' | TRS tram 044 |
| Tour Hassan | 13:35 | 13:48 | 'T1' | TRS tram 033 + 025 |
| Madinat Al Irfane (photo) | 14:06 | 14:17 | 'T1' | TRS tram 031 + 021 |
| Mohammed V Gare de Rabat | 14:37 | |||
| Rabat Ville | 15:45 | 124 | ONCF EL E-1417 + 12C dep 18 late | |
| Casablanca Voyageurs | 16:45 | arr 22 late | ||
| Gare Casa Voyageurs | 17:20 | CT tram 018 + 017 (photo) | ||
| Place Nations Unies | 17:30 | |||
| Overnight at Novotel Casablanca City Centre | ||||
| Notes A visit to the country capital Rabat to ride on the tramway there. A depot visit at Hay Karima was arranged. Travel between Casa and Rabat was on service trains. |
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Saturday 23rd March 2013
| Place Nations Unies | 08:42 | CT tram 040 + 023 | ||
| Gare Casa Voyageurs | 08:52 | |||
| Casablanca Voyageurs | 09:45 | 155/356 | ONCF EL E-1312 + 9C (photo) | |
| Tanger Ville (photo) | 14:30 | 15:50 | 409 | ONCF EL E-1312 + 2C arr 26 late / dep 12 late (photo) |
| Ksar Sghir (photo) | 16:41 | 17:25 | 414 | ONCF EL E-1312 + 2C arr 8 late (photo - photo) |
| Tanger Ville | 18:13 | arr 17 late, delayed at Tanger Morora | ||
| Overnight at Ibis Hotel Tanger City Centre, a few minutes walk from Tanger Ville railway station | ||||
| Notes On my own now. The branch to Ksar Sghir has just this one train pair per day at the moment. I was invited into the loco cab by the Chef de Train at Ksar Sghir and rode back to Tanger Ville. I found out that the branch continuation, on to Tanger Med, is due to start a regular EMU train service in June 2013. This whole line is very new (opened in 2009) and is very heavily engineered. |
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Sunday 24th March 2013
| Tanger Ville | 08:25 | 301/181 | ONCF EL E-1252 + 8C (photo - photo) | |
| Fès (photo) | 13:00 | 13:50 | 128 | ONCF EL E-1307 + 10C (photo) |
| Meknès | 14:21 | 14:24 | 183 | ONCF EL E-1317 + 10C |
| Fès | 15:00 | |||
| Overnight at Ibis Hotel Fès, a few minutes walk from Fès railway station | ||||
| Notes A simple day to cover the scenic route to Fès, plus a quick run back to Meknès for some alternative locomotive haulage. |
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Monday 25th March 2013
| Fès | 06:50 | 110/607 | ONCF EL E-1408 + 12C | |
| Marrakech | 14:05 | arr 7 late | ||
| Marrakech Railway Station | 15:43 | '19' | Alsa bus | |
| Marrakech Airport (RAK) | 16:00 | 20:30 | EZY1894 | Easyjet Airbus A320 |
| Manchester Airport (MAN) | 00:20 | 00:50 | Taxi | |
| Home | 01:00 | |||
| Notes The journey home. Marrakech bus service No. 19 runs from the airport via a circular route past the railway station and back to the airport. The plane arrived at Manchester half an hour early but then we had to wait over 40 minutes for the baggage to arrive! |
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Summary
Problems with PTG's agents meant that we didn't do much of the promised freight track and had fewer than the promised number of locomotives. Otherwise a very interesting trip for a first visit to Morocco. A lot of the locomotives, signage and operating practices are very reminiscent of France, not surprising bearing in mind the country's history. PTG may or may not return to visit Northern Morocco, but I want to return to the north anyway.