The ONCF has made every effort to comply with the health prevention measures required by the Covid-19 era.
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The National Office of Railways (ONCF) claims to have everything planned to receive travelers after deconfinement in safe sanitary conditions. To respect and ensure respect for social distancing, the office took measures that were both new and strict. We don’t play around with the new coronavirus.
In anticipation of the deconfinement, the ONCF announces that it has put in place an appropriate system of health protection and safety measures. In this video, the office gives an overview of the new travel rules to “support the gradual resumption of traffic and guarantee the optimal conditions for protected travel”.
The carrier ensures that preventive and proactive security measures have been planned to help protect travelers from the Covid-19 and ensure strict compliance with health measures. This ranges from filtering passengers at the entrance to stations to separate flows, controlling the wearing of masks in stations and on trains, including the provision of hydro-alcoholic gels in stations and on board trains, as well as the reinforced and continuous cleaning and disinfection of trains and shared spaces in stations.
ONCF agents will ensure strict respect for social distancing
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The ONCF also promises to ensure respect for social distancing in waiting areas in stations, on platforms and in travel spaces on trains, by limiting sales capacity, neutralizing seats and the marking on the ground of the safety distance to be respected, as well as the wearing of a mask and visors by “Front Office” staff in contact with customers in stations and on trains.
An essential measure for respecting social distancing on board trains: the Office announces a reduction in sales and occupancy capacity to 50% during the first phase of deconfinement.
The ONCF advises its customers that reservations will now be compulsory on board the TNRs, as is the case with ALBORAQ and ALATLAS trains. “All TNR passengers (full price ticket, subscription, reduction, railway workers, members of the agreement) must respect the use of the train and the car, the numbers of which will be indicated on the ticket,” specifies the Office. “Shuttle and Dima” subscribers must also make a reservation for the requested TNR with their subscription card, before boarding.
In addition, to avoid unnecessary travel and especially congestion in stations, travelers are invited to buy their ticket remotely on the ONCF merchant site.
The Office finally announces that it is preparing the gradual resumption of the AL BORAQ and AL ATLAS services and will soon disclose their date of circulation.
In the meantime, since the deconfinement is still in progress, the ONCF continues to reduce the number of its fast shuttle trains (TNR) on the nearby axes of Casa Port-Settat, Casa Port-El Jadida and Casa Port-Rabat-Kénitra. The Office however specifies that the number of services will increase from 20 to 40 trains per day, combined with the reopening of the stations of Rabat Agdal and Salé Tabriquet, and this “in full compliance with the measures decreed by the competent authorities and following the ‘progressive evolution of demand’.
Stations ready for deconfinement
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8.7 million passengers transported in 3 months
The National Railway Office (ONCF) announces that it transported a total of 8.7 million passengers in the first quarter of 2020. Passenger activity generated, according to the rail operator’s quarterly results, revenue of 369 million dirhams (MDH) in Q1-2020, an increase of 6% compared to the same period last year.
Key indicators
. In 2020, the ONCF developed complementary services to the train, with high added value to offer its customers a range of services to improve their mobility.
. The passenger activity now offers diversified sales channels which are increasingly focused on innovative technologies.
. The Freight excluding phosphate activity generated revenue of 129 MDH, up 3% at the end of March, corresponding to a transport volume of 2.2 million tonnes of general cargo.
. Revenue from the transport of phosphates stood at 296 million dirhams, down 6% compared to Q1-2019, corresponding to a tonnage of 3.5 million tonnes.
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