Casa-Port railway station
Casa-Port | |
|---|---|
 The new passenger hall in November 2014 | |
| Location |
Casablanca Morocco |
| Coordinates | 33°35′57″N 7°36′43″W / 33.599181°N 7.611875°WCoordinates: 33°35′57″N 7°36′43″W / 33.599181°N 7.611875°W |
| Owned by | Kingdom of Morocco |
| Operated by | ONCF |
| Platforms | 4 |
| Tracks | 6 |
| Connections | Casablanca Tramway Line T1 |
| History | |
| Opened | 1907 |
Casa-Port railway station (French: Gare de Casa-Port) is an ONCF (Office National des Chemins de Fer du Maroc, "Moroccan National Railway") station in the centre of Casablanca, near the Port of Casablanca. It is served by suburban, regional and long-distance trains and is one of the major Casablanca stations, together with Casa-Voyageurs.
Layout
The station is a terminus, with 6 tracks and 4 platforms. Most notably, it is served by the Train Navette Rapide (TNR) from Casablanca to Kénitra via Rabat.
Renovation
As of 2014, an important renovation project is in process, including modernising the rail infrastructure and platforms, a new passenger building, shops and a 500-place underground car park, together with 27,000 square metres (290,000 sq ft) of office space.[1] ONCF's total investment is around MAD 100m.[2]
During the renovation, access to the platforms was via a temporary passenger building on the Boulevard Moulay Abderrahmane. Boarding and alighting points were moved to allow train movements without interruption to other traffic.
After the works are complete, the station will comprise 8 tracks with 5 platforms and have a capacity of 20 trains per hour (t.p.h.), handling 10,000 passengers a day.[3]
The reconstruction works had several setbacks. The initial plan for the works, managed by the ONCF with AREP/Groupe 3A as contractors, was for them to end in 2012, then in 2013.[3][4] The trickiest part of the construction was new underground levels in unstable soil, close to the sea – in 2010 the whole site was flooded – and the contractor's failure, which meant re-tendering to a wider market of larger contractors.[2][5] Despite multiple delays in the construction project, the brand new railway station was inaugurated on 25 September 2014 in the presence of King Mohammed VI.
Local transport
The station is accessible by taxi, and on the M'dina Bus network. A station on Casablanca Tramway Line 1 is about 900 metres (980 yd) away, in the Place des Nations Unies.
References
- ↑ "L'ONCF s'associe à Deutsche Bank dans la nouvelle gare de Casa-Port" [ONCF partners Deutsche Bank in the new Casa-Port station]. http://www.lavieeco.com (in French). 15 February 2008. Retrieved 20 June 2013. External link in
|website=(help) - 1 2 "Entretien avec M. Khlie, DG de l’ONCF : La gare Casa-Port sera livrée dans les deux mois" [Interview with Mr. Khlie, Director-General of the ONCF: Casa-Port station will be ready in two months]. Le Matin (Morocco) (in French). 30 January 2014. Retrieved 26 October 2014.
- 1 2 "La gare ferroviaire Casa Port sera prête en 2013" [Casa Port railway station will be ready in 2013]. Le Matin (Morocco) (in French). 4 October 2012. Retrieved 21 June 2013.
- ↑ "La nouvelle gare de Casa Port opérationnelle en 2012" [New Casa Port station operational in 2012]. http://www.lavieeco.com. 5 April 2011. Retrieved 19 June 2014. External link in
|website=(help) - ↑ "Casa-Port Chantier inondé, circulation bloquée" [Casa-Port site flooded, traffic blocked]. L'Economiste (in French). 8 December 2010. Retrieved 26 October 2014.