What Africa’s 190+ MPH Railway Can Teach the World
In the summer of 2022, I took a weeklong trip to Morocco in North Africa. If you know one thing about its railway, you probably know they were the first African nation to build High Speed Rail. But what if I told you there was a lot more to the ONCF network than that?
Where I stayed:
Marrakesh: https://www.booking.com/hotel/ma/riad-mounir.html?aid=356980&label=gog235jc-1FCAsojAFCC3JpYWQtbW91bmlySDNYA2irAogBAZgBMbgBB8gBDdgBAegBAfgBAogCAagCA7gC3pbjugbAAgHSAiQ2MGYzZWIwMi02MmM5LTRlZTktODRmNi03NGZmNDc2NDU4MmTYAgXgAgE&sid=c88f984d44dc680b74d3c218823047f2&dest_id=-38833&dest_type=city&dist=0&group_adults=2&group_children=0&hapos=1&hpos=1&no_rooms=1&req_adults=2&req_children=0&room1=A%2CA&sb_price_type=total&sr_order=popularity&srepoch=1733872485&srpvid=c47ba36f227c019c&type=total&ucfs=1&
Fes: https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/17279991?viralityEntryPoint=1&s=76
Discord: https://discord.gg/jJsqkhyqz4
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Classy Whale – at-least-weekly misadventures with trains and transit!
0:00 – Intro
0:43 – Marrakesh
2:03 – Al-Atlas
3:53 – Let’s Talk About Colonialism
5:55 – To Oujda
9:52 – Bus to the Border
11:41 – Patreon
11:51 – Al-Atlas Nuit Sleeper Train
13:03 – Al-Boraq
17:19 – Conclusion
31 Comments
When African countries are building better rail networks than the US/Canada/Australia/New Zealand………you can get a sleeper train from the remote looking eastern Morocco to a smaller western city. We don't even have the concept of a sleeper train in the US unless your long distance Amtrak route works out that way
For Moroccan train history, an attack on a Compagnie Marocaine's (a colonial holding company created in 1902 to exploit Morocco) train incited the Bombardment of Casablanca in August 1907, marking the beginning of French conquest. The contract to develop Casablanca and Asfi was given to Compagnie Marocaine in 1906. The first line they built in 1907 connected Casablanca port to a quarry in Roches Noires (now a district of Casablanca). Thank you for mentioning that the Spanish had a protectorate in northern Morocco, and the interesting fact about Tangier being controlled by different nations. For the Spanish, their main reason was just prestige and power. During a time when Spain just lost the Philippines, Guam, Cuba, and Puerto Rico, Spain wanted something to prove they still had prestige. And Morocco was Spain's last chance to maintain its position in the Concert of Europe, as it was the one area in which it could claim sufficient interest to generate some diplomatic strength with respect to the European powers. Also, Spain still has the autonomous cities of Ceuta and Melilla on the border with Morocco, as well as Peñón de Vélez de la Gomera…the latter's border with Morocco is just 80 m long, it used to be an island until 1930 when a storm washed a lot of sand and turned a small channel into a tombolo.
And yeah Western Sahara is a touchy subject. Western Sahara is a former Spanish colony that Morocco mostly occupies and claims as theirs while Algeria has backed the Polisario Front, a group that aims for an independent Western Sahara for the indigenous Sahrawi people (the Polisario Front currently occupies 20–25% of the territory it claims). In 1976, Mauritania and Morocco occupied much of the territory, but the Polisario Front fought a guerrilla war against both, forcing Mauritania to relinquish its claim in 1979. Morocco has claimed authority over Western Sahara since 1975, but the United Nations does not recognize Morocco’s control, calling Western Sahara a “non-self-governing territory.” In 2022, the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic was recognized by 46 out of a total of 193 United Nations member states (South Ossetia also recognizes it but not many recognizes South Ossetia besides Venezuela, Nauru, Nicaragua, and of course its papa Russia who invaded Georgia to occupy Abkhazia and South Ossetia), and is a full member of the African Union. Morocco gradually contained the guerrillas by setting up the extensive sand-berm in the desert (known as the Border Wall or Moroccan Wall) to exclude guerrilla fighters. The UN brokered a ceasefire in 1991, but a long-promised referendum on the territory’s status has yet to be held. The Moroccan-controlled area, which Morocco calls the “Southern Provinces,” is represented in the Moroccan parliament. However, civil liberties are severely restricted, particularly as they relate to independence activism. In 2020, the US was the first to recognize Morocco's claim over the entirety of Western Sahara, with Israel second in 2023. As mentioned, in 2021, Algeria severed ties with them after accusing Morocco of supporting the Movement for the Self-Determination of Kabylie (a Berber group that wants an independent Kabylia in northern Algeria) in relation of Algeria's support of the Polisario Front. Also, there was the Sand War in 1963 where Morocco claimed portions of Algeria's Tindouf and Béchar provinces and wanted mineral resources discovered in the area. Cuba sent troops to help Algeria defend their territory.
I see Americans are still doing the Canadian trick in difficult regions… I see ya, I feel ya! Even if I wasn't Canadian, I'd do the same thing. Just remember to sound neutral with the accent and sprinkle in the odd eh, eh? 😉
Great video! I hope with the 2030 World Cup coming up and Morocco co-hosting with Spain and Portugal that it will spur more rail and infrastructure investment in the whole region including more solar farms and BEV factories especially since Morocco has a free-trade agreement with both the EU and the USA I believe which makes it a very strategic and affordable manufacturing location for many, many things!
I feel triggered that even freaking Africa has faster trains than the so-called richest country in the world aka United States. I dislike my own country soo much!!
3:01, kinda like Hogwarts Express from Harry Potter
Still shpaed by colonialism? Yeah they wouldn't have ANY railways if it wasn't for the British and the Frnech building them, you're welcome Africa.
The legendary African train that embarrasses California HSR to prove a point
Nice job
Sitting on single track siding waiting for a passing train.
Caleb: “This happens all the time in America.”
Fellow Passenger: ”Yes, yes, I know.”
LOL I didn’t know the US’s poor passenger rail reputation reached this far. 🤣
God, I swear the American public would’ve loved high-speed rail, even if they don’t realize it. It’s always political compromises making us go halfway.
If passenger rail was federally subsidized in the 60s, we would have had high-speed rail built.
And Brightline would’ve been true high speed rail and California high-speed rail would have been in operation for 4 years now in full with more coming
don't you just hate it when the atlantic ocean happens
You'll probably find it funny, but on this side of the pond corridor coaches are a huge source of nostalgia. The general railfan opinion here is that corridor coaches are the more comfortable, quieter, more luxurious way to travel that is being pushed aside by American-style open-plan coaches (what you called "normal seating") that herd people in like cattle for the sake of profit. They see it as a classic sign of the old-style quality being replaced by mass-produced mediocrity. By the way, outside of France, compartments always seat 6 people, except for some first-class compartments that seat 4.
To be clea, that is the railfan perspective and not really the common traveller's one. Personally, I'm fine with either arrangement, and I don't think it's a bad thing at all that open-plan coaches are higher capacity and easier to clean. Corridor coaches do offer some unique amenities – you can freely control the light level and room temperature in your compartment, and it is obviously much quieter. And they promote a different kind of interaction with other travellers, where you're more likely to actually interact with people because there's a smaller group that is turned towards each other.
In any case, the general reaction of American trip reviewers to corridor coaches ranges between intrigue and disgust, so it really seems to be a question of personal preference and habit rather than the objective one some railfans here think it is.
In fairness the Shinkansen absolutely was talked about in the sense of “how did Japan get to this technology before us???”, its opening caused an explosion in funding for intercity rail in the US in the 1960s under LBJ. Also, while the reaction is misinformed and can certainly come from a place of ignorance and/or bigotry, I think “why does this country have HSR and we don’t?” is legitimate if you’re asking “why does a country with a fraction of our wealth have this fantastic technology? perhaps the way we are managing our own domestic wealth is suboptimal”
Like the US is the country that calls themselves “the greatest” all the time, many Americans assume that the US has the best of everything and are surprised when they learn that they don’t actually have all of the best things.
I think asking "why does country xyz have something and we don't" is still good. Obviously, the US does not deserve high speed rail more than Morocco does, but the US is a lot wealthier than Morocco. It's kind of asking "if less wealthy countries can have great things, why can't wealthier countries also have them?" Given that cost is a constant objection to rail projects in general and high speed rail projects in particular, I think pointing out that countries like Morocco, Turkey, Indonesia, and Uzbekistan all have high speed rail can help to dispel the cost myth and show that it's the dysfunctional political system in North America that prevents progress. SNCF has even specifically pointed this out. They built Al Boraq after pulling out of CAHSR, and they have said that California's bureaucracy and politics are more dysfunctional than Morocco's
Wen are you visiting Nigeria 🇳🇬
casablanca is the industrail capital of morroccoans rabatis the seat of the c goverment.
As someone who’s travelled a lot by train in Europe I’m a bit of a compartment apologist. When full they can be a bit uncomfortable but when preassigned seating is respected they can be quite cozy. And they can foster some amazing cultural experiences such as your trip to Oujda.
Isn't this a reupload?
This was a great video and very refreshing and impressed on how you discussed the colonial past without glorifying colonialism as many tend to! The ONCF network always gets passed over by the rail community yet I believe Morocco is an inspiration even to places like the UK. The public transport in Morocco is developing rapidly, particularly in Casablanca and it’s nice to see it finally be acknowledged and appreciated! Thank you!
Welcome to morocco.
Actually we lost two line from the colonial era: line to Midelet and the line to Bouarfa the last one still do some rare touristic trips. Those lines were for resources extraction that are now no more. But the lines could be useful today to get to cities in the east like my home town Errachidia. The main probleme that train in Morocco face is the lack of expention and the fact that the trains are concentraited in the westren lowlands even though in the lowland also some cities are not connected like Saouira, Araych…
If u want to visit the real sahara welcome to my region Draa-tafilalt. You can visit Marzouga a popular destination.
There are NO miles in Africa! Maybe they have miles in Alabama or West Virginia but certainly not Africa!
Morocco benefited from the fact that its rail system is relatively "new" – it was only built in the 1920's. And parts of it were built already electrified, another bonus. This sprung from politics, prior to WW1 the French couldn't have a permanent settlement because of geopolitical wrangling with Germany, who also had designs over Morocco. However there was need for transportation better than camels, so the French built a huge 0,60m semi-permanent (which in time became permanent, complete with a Garratt and a Kitson-Meyer) Decauville network to supply the military and also handle civilian traffic. With the end of WW1 Germany was out of the picture so France consolidated its "protectorate" status over Morocco and realized that a 0,60m gauge railway was inadequate, so they began replacing it by a standard gauge rail system. Even so the 0,60m gauge equipment was "recycled" several times over, as CFM (the "O" came only after independence) used it to build "development" lines ahead of the standard gauge tracks.
Simple Railway watch this!
4 years for the upload lol
3:19~3:23 – Well I wouldn't be complaining 😜
woah i got an DB ad
Brilliant video!
Although the City of Casablanca has slightly more people than the City of Toronto, the Greater Toronto Area is far larger than greater Casablanca (6.7M vs 4.2M)
14:15 I'm kind of glad you came around to this because the earlier segment on colonial rail taken in isolation implies that ONCF is just France's legacy from before independence. Oujda's single track unelectrified line is a bit of a disgrace. From a decision making point I can understand not investing in its upgrade. Population density and economic activity in the east simply doesn't justify it before Agadir and Fes HSR, especially since the line would have to be entirely redesigned, so why not wait ten years and do a proper HSR? On the good news front, the al atlas service is due for brand new trains in a year or two. The train sets are being purchased. There will finally be a regional train network around Rabat Casa and Marrakesh, true HSR is under construction between Kenitra and Marrakech, and extention to Agadir is pretty much certain now. Some branching lines are being extended as well as port and airport connections. Overall I'm pretty bullish on the evolution trains in Morocco in the next decade, it will be great, although I still wish for a Rabat Oujda HSR and a new track along the Mediterranean coast, by 2040 hopefully 😮💨
Actually,the compartiment coach where and are still very appreciated in france,particularly when traveling in family