Mediterranean–Niger Railway
The Mediterranean-Niger-Railway (MN)[1] (French: Chemins de Fer de la Méditerranée au Niger) was a railway in Western Africa.
Mediterranean-Niger-Railway Chemins de Fer de la Méditerranée au Niger | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Technical | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Line length | 275 km (171 mi) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Track gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Maximum incline | Adhesion 35 % Rack rail % | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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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 und 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)
- English name following Strack.
- "Railroads of North Africa".
- see: Faur; Pottier
- "France - Globe24h". Archived from the original on 2011-07-11. Retrieved 2010-05-11.
- "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2011-01-16. Retrieved 2010-05-06.
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