SNTF

Infobox Company
name = Société Nationale des Transports Ferroviaires

type = State-owned
genre =
foundation = March 31, 1976
founder =
location_city =
location_country = Algeria
location =
locations =
area_served = DZA, TUN
key_people =
industry = Rail transport
products = Rail transport, Cargo, transport, Service, more...
services =
revenue =
operating_income =
net_income =
assets =
equity =
owner =
num_employees =
parent =
divisions =
subsid = See article
slogan = "SNTF", votre partenaire idéal (French: "SNTF", your ideal partner)
homepage = [http://www.sntf.dz/home.php SNTF homepage]
footnotes =
intl =

SNTF (in French - Societé Nationale des Transports Ferrovaires, i.e. "National company for rail transport") is Algeria's national railway operator. The "SNTF", a state-owned company, [The SNTF is an "EPIC", a "Public industrial-commercial etablishement, see French Wikipedia article] currently has a monopoly over Algeria's network of convert|3973|km|abbr=on, even though it is currently exploiting only convert|3572|km|abbr=on. Out of the total railway network, convert|2888|km|abbr=on are RailGauge|sg standard gauge (convert|283|km|abbr=on|disp=s of these are electrified) and convert|1085|km|abbr=on are RailGauge|1055 narrow gauge (as of 2002). [cite web| url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ag.html#Trans| title=Transport in Algeria| publisher=CIA| accessdate=2008-02-23] [cite web| url=http://www.sntf.dz/home.php| title=SNTF homepage| publisher=SNTF| accessdate=2008-02-23]

History

The beginnings

The history of the railway in Algeria starts with the colonization of the country by France. In April 8 1857, a decree orders the creation of convert|1357|km|abbr=on of railway, beginning with a standard gauge line going from Algiers to Blida, started in December 12 1859. The private "Compagnie des chemins de fer algériens" starts working on that line with the help of the French army on July 11 1860. At the same time, the company got the permission to create a Oran-Sig line and a Constantine-Skikda line, however, due to economic difficulties, only the Algiers-Blida line was finished, and opened to the public on September 8 1862. Afterwards, 5 other companies start the creation of new lines, these are:
*"La Compagnie Bône - Guelma" (BG)
*"La Compagnie de l'Est Algérien (EA") (Eastern Algeria)
*"La Compagnie Paris - Lyon - Méditerranée" (PLM)
*"La Compagnie de l'Ouest Algérien (OA)" (Western Algeria)
*"La Compagnie Franco - Algérienne (FA)"From 1857-1878, following lines (or parts of them) were finished, totalizing convert|1365|km|abbr=on, which is greater than the initial expectations:
*Annaba - Berrahal
*Annaba - Bouchegouf - Guelma
*El Khroub - Oued Zenati
*Constantine - Skikda
*Constantine - Sétif
*Algiers - Thénia
*Algiers - Oran
*Arzew - La Macta - Mohammedia
*Mohammadia - Mécheria
*Oued Tlélat-Sidi Bel Abbès

The nationalization

After 1879, France divided the railway lines being built of being of "local interest" or "general interest", with only the latter being eligible to receive state funding. The July 18 1879 decree defines the extent of some "general interest" lines and orders further convert|1747|km|abbr=on of railways to enhance the existing network. From 1879-1906, following lines (or parts of them) were finished, totalizing convert|2035|km|abbr=on, which is; again; greater than the initial expectations:
*Souk Ahras-Tébessa-Le Kouif-Tunisian border
*Berrahal- Ramdane Djamel
*Ouled Rahmoune-Khenchela
*El Guerrah-Biskra
*Sétif-Thénia with further lines to include Tizi Ouzou, Béjaia and Sour El Ghozlane
*Blida-Berrouaghia
*Mostaganem- Relizane-Tiaret
*Oran-Arzew
*Es Sénia-Aïn Témouchent
*Sidi Bel Abbès-Tlemcen-Moroccan border
*Tabia-Crampel
*Méchéria-Béchar
*Tizi-MascaraIn 1946, Algeria's total railway network contained a total of convert|5014|km|abbr=on of exploited lines, in addition to mine lines; that is overall much more than the current network.After a while, the private companies were unable to maintain economic stability, which led the French government to buy the "Franco - Algérienne", "Est Algérien", "Bône-Guelma" and "Ouest Algérien" in 1900, 1908, 1905 et 1920 respectively. In September 27 1912, the state-owned "Compagnie des Chemins de Fer Algériens de l'Etat" (CFAE) takes over all lines, except those owned by the "Compagnie Paris - Lyon - Méditerranée". In July 1 1921, the CFAE and PLM agree to share the Algerian railway network with the PLM exploiting the Algiers-Oran, Oran-Aïn Témouchent, Sidi Bel Abbès-Tlemcen-Oujda-Crampel, Blida-Hassi Bahbah lines (in other words, Western Algeria) while the CFAE gets the rest. In May 30 1938, both companies become incorporated into the newly founded SNCF, which handles all of France's railway network, with the Algerian network becoming a "région". In January 1 1939, the "Office des Chemins de fer Algériens" ("Office CFA") is created, to speliaze in the Algerian network. In June 30 1959, an agreement is signed between the French government and the OCFA. In January 1 1960 the "Société des Chemins de Fer Français en Algérie" is created as a result of the forementioned convention; until its replacement by the "Société Nationale des Chemins de Fer Algériens" "(SNCFA)" in June 16 1963, a year after Algeria's independence

Post-Independence

The June 30 1959 convention is maintained after the country's independence until March 30 1976, when the SNCFA split into the companies:
*SNTF, for the exploitation and maintenance of the lines;
*SNERIF, for the renewal and extension of the network;
*SIF, for the engineering and modernization of the infrastructure.This reorganization was to ameliorate the railway network and services and Algeria, however, as this didn't work out, the two latter companies were reintegrated into the SNTF.In 1980, a convention for the relations between the Algerian state and the SNTF was signed, officially called "decree N° 88-128 of June 28 1988", it is still used, and regulates; among other things; the salary of the workers and the maintenance of the infrastructure. It has several similarities with the June 1959 convention. Since December 1990, the SNTF became a EPIC.

Recent investments

Large investment programs were launched after 1980 to ameliorate the Algerian railway network, such as the creation of the Jijel-Ramdane-Djamel line (convert|140|km|abbr=on|disp=s), the Béni Saf area railway, especially for its cement plant (convert|23|km|abbr=on|disp=s), and in the Saïda (23 km) and Aïn Touta area (convert|15|km|abbr=on|disp=s).In addition to that, about convert|1400|km|abbr=on of track were renewed, both the track ballast and the railroad ties, as well as the doubling of the tracks of the "Rocade Nord" in Algiers (about convert|200|km|abbr=on|disp=s). Many train stations all over the country were modernized, or even reconstructed, there were also many improvements to the railway, especially in the vincities of Algiers and Annaba.

ubsidiaries

SNTF has nine subsidiaries:
*RAIL EXPRESS
*STIM
*INFRARAIL
*RAIL ELECTR
*SETIRAIL
*RAIL TRANSIT
*RESTAURAIL
*RAIL PUB AFFICHAGE
*RAIL TELECOM

Material

SNTF has:
*440 Passenger cars
*9.855 Railroad cars
*222 classes

Affiliations

SNTF is a member of the following organizations:
* International Union of Railways (UIC)
* Arab Union of Railways
* Comité du Transport Ferroviaire Maghrebin (CTFM) (The seats of this organization are in Algeria)
* African Union of Railways

External links

*fr [http://www.sntf.dz Official website]

References and notes