page_title: National Company for Rail Transport
section_title: Nationalization
hierarchical_section_title: National Company for Rail Transport / History / Nationalization
caption_attribution_description: Train station of Mohammedia
context_page_description: The National Rail Transportation Company — is Algeria's national railway operator. The SNTF, a state-owned company, currently has a monopoly over Algeria's network of 3,973 km, although it is currently utilising only 3,572 km. Out of the total railway network, 2,888 km are 1,435 mm standard gauge and 1,085 km are 1,055 mm narrow gauge.
context_section_description: After 1879, France divided the railway lines being built into categories of local interest or of general interest, with only the latter being eligible to receive state funding. The July 18, 1879 decree defined the extent of some "general interest" lines and ordered the construction of a further 1,747 km (1,086 mi) of railways to expand the existing network. From 1879-1906, the following lines (or parts of them) were finished, totalling 2,035 km (1,264 mi):
  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—Mascara
  In 1946, Algeria's total railway network contained a total of 5,014 km (3,116 mi) of active lines, in addition to mine lines, significantly 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. On September 27, 1912, the state-owned Compagnie des Chemins de Fer Algériens de l'Etat (CFAE) assumed control of all lines, except those owned by the Compagnie Paris - Lyon - Méditerranée. On July 1, 1921, the CFAE and PLM agreed to share the Algerian railway network with the PLM operating the Algiers-Oran, Oran-Aïn Témouchent, Sidi Bel Abbès-Tlemcen-Oujda-Crampel, Blida-Hassi Bahbah lines (effectively Western Algeria) while the CFAE operated the rest. 
  On May 30, 1938, both companies were incorporated into the newly founded SNCF, which operated all of France's railway network, with the Algerian network becoming a région. On January 1, 1939, the Office des Chemins de fer Algériens (Office CFA) was created, focusing on the Algerian network. 
  On June 30, 1959, an agreement was made between the French government and the OCFA, and on January 1, 1960 the Société des Chemins de Fer Français en Algérie was created as a result. This new company operated Algeria's railways until its replacement by the Société Nationale des Chemins de Fer Algériens (SNCFA) on June 16, 1963, a year after Algeria's independence.
caption: Mohammedia's train station (20th century)
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