page_title: National Company for Rail Transport
section_title: The beginnings
hierarchical_section_title: National Company for Rail Transport / History / The beginnings
caption_attribution_description: English: Train station of Skikda
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: The history of the railway in Algeria began with the colonization of the country by France. On April 8, 1857, a decree ordered the creation of 1,357 km (843 mi) of railways, beginning with the construction of a standard gauge line from Algiers to Blida, which started on December 12, 1859. The private Compagnie des chemins de fer algériens started working on the line with the help of the French army on July 11, 1860. At the same time, the company obtained permission to create an Oran-Sig line and a Constantine-Skikda line, however due to economic difficulties, only the Algiers-Blida line was finished, and it was subsequently opened to the public on September 8, 1862. Afterwards, 5 other companies started the construction 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, the following lines (or parts of them) were finished, totalling 1,365 km (848 mi), which exceeded 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
caption: Skikda Station (20th century)
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