ONCF (Office National des Chemins de Fer) — chartered by Discovery Trains, Suprateam Travel, and Kora Travel Group
Morocco
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The Journey
Navigate from Oujda Station (Gare d'Oujda) to Bouarfa Station (Gare de Bouarfa) across a span of 305km.
Scenery Highlights
Sahara Desert fringes — approaching the northern edge of the world's great desert
High Oriental Steppes — vast open landscapes of stony plateau stretching to the horizon
Abandoned colonial mining stations — relics of the line's original 1925–1931 CMO (Compagnie du Maroc Oriental) construction era
Mediterranean–Sahara transition zone — unique ecological boundary visible from the train
Nomadic Bedouin camel herds grazing the arid eastern Moroccan frontier
Aïn Beni Mathar thermo-solar power plant (NOORo I, 2013) — striking industrial landmark with thousands of heliostat mirrors in the middle of the desert
Tiouli tunnel — the line's most significant engineering feature, single-track bore through the eastern High Plateau
Bouarfa manganese-mining district — abandoned open-pit workings and 1920s French-built infrastructure visible from the train approach
Quick Facts
Duration
10 hours
Distance
305 km
Est. Price
Premium — approximately €442 per person for standard day-trip operator packages (2026 verified Suprateam rate); multi-day tour bundles from €2,385 (Suprateam 10-day) to €3,045 (Discovery Trains 12-day 'Moroccan Immersion'); private photographer's charters €1,400–€1,800 per person
Meals: Hot tajine lunch and mint tea served onboard; bottled water
Ensuite: No
Meals: Half-board (breakfast and dinner daily) plus train-day lunch
Ensuite: Yes
Meals: Custom catering (typically upgraded tajine menu + sunset drinks)
Ensuite: No
Engine / Locomotive
EMD-built DH-class diesel-electric locomotive, typically DH-370 (120 tonnes, 120 km/h maximum, throttled to ~50 km/h for sightseeing) — Electro-Motive Division of General Motors design under ONCF licence
Track Gauge
1,435 mm (standard gauge) — built to integrate with the broader colonial-era Mediterranean–Niger railway network envisioned in the 1920s
Braking Technology
Air brakes on locomotive; manual sand clearance from tracks required before and during journeys at multiple points along the route
Route Engineering Challenges
Sand dune encroachment on tracks — crews manually clear accumulated sand at multiple points along the route; major cause of the unpredictable 10–12 hour journey time
Extreme temperature variations (below 0 °C winter nights to above 45 °C summer afternoons) — both passenger comfort and locomotive cooling are constrained
Remote desert maintenance — no road access for much of the line makes repair and inspection logistically challenging
Line built 1925–1931 for mineral freight — never designed for passenger comfort or modern tourism standards
Single-track operation with no passing loops for much of the route
Vintage 1960s rolling stock (B10 photography car) requires specialist maintenance not available in Morocco — components typically sourced from retired SNCF / SNCFL pools
Maximum Speed
50 km/h in service (locomotive capped at this for sightseeing and sand-clearance; 120 km/h maximum capability)
Line Status
Disused colonial-era freight line kept alive exclusively for occasional tourist charters
Construction Period
1925–1931 (Compagnie du Chemin de Fer du Maroc Oriental, CMO, under French Protectorate)
Original Purpose
Transport of manganese, lead, and zinc ores from Bouarfa mines to coastal ports
Part of
Abandoned Mediterranean–Niger Railway project linking the Mediterranean Sea to sub-Saharan Africa (planned but never completed)
Film Appearance
James Bond Spectre (2015, EON Productions / Sony) — exterior sequences filmed on this line, dramatically increasing international demand
Charter Frequency
3–6 charter dates per year (spring: March–May; autumn: October–November)
Booking Lead Time
2–4 months for standard charters; some spring dates sell out 6 months ahead
Booking Channel
Tour operators only (Discovery Trains, Suprateam Travel, Kora Travel Group); no ONCF direct ticket sales
Operator (current)
ONCF (infrastructure / locomotive) with Discovery Trains, Suprateam Travel, and Kora Travel Group (charter packages)
Time Zone
Africa/Casablanca (WET, UTC+0; UTC+1 during DST)
Currency
EUR (operator packages quoted in euros); Moroccan Dirham (MAD) for incidental expenses in Oujda / Bouarfa
Closest Major City (start)
Oujda (~580,000 inhabitants), eastern Morocco's largest city, with airport (Oujda-Angads, OUD) and high-speed Al-Boraq rail connection to Casablanca via ONCF Al-Boraq
Closest Major City (end)
Bouarfa (~30,000 inhabitants), small frontier town near the Algerian border; former manganese-mining centre
UNESCO Status
Not a UNESCO site itself; part of the broader proposed Mediterranean–Niger railway heritage corridor (no formal listing)
Quick Facts
Duration
10 hours
Distance
305 km
Est. Price
Premium — approximately €442 per person for standard day-trip operator packages (2026 verified Suprateam rate); multi-day tour bundles from €2,385 (Suprateam 10-day) to €3,045 (Discovery Trains 12-day 'Moroccan Immersion'); private photographer's charters €1,400–€1,800 per person