Introduction

I spend the whole week in Mohammadia, which is the closest town with hotels to where I’m giving a course at Ben Slimane airport.

I must say, I am fascinated by the landscapes and intrigued by the complexity of Moroccan society and its traditions.

The course is now done and I’m on my way home. So, I’m heading into town to spend my last night in Casablanca. And I’m going there by train.

Buying Tickets

Tickets can be purchased either on the ONCF website, at the ticket machines at the station or at the ticket counter. One thing that nobody tells you but is important to know, is that the website only accepts payments by Moroccan-registered credit cards. And at the station, payments at the counter are only possible in cash.

The price for a one way, first class ticket to Casablanca is MOD28, which is roughly CHF2.80.

Journey Details

The friendly young lady hands me the ticket and smiles at my obvious and heavy accent when I speak Arabic. My old Arabic professor always used to say I sounded like a Cairene taxi driver… the young lady informs me that the train will be on platform 2 and that the next departure is in 13 minutes.

Trains to Casablanca run more or less every thirty minutes. There is a checkpoint to access the platforms. I think the Moroccans just like checking things.

The Train

The service to Mohammadia is operated by double decked suburban trains. Each composition is made up of three second class coaches and one first class coach.

From the outside, the trains look pretty ratty. The humid Atlantic climate has them covered in rust.

The Cabin

Inside though, the train is quite nice, especially for a suburban train.

The seats are plush and covered in a comfortable velvety material. Seat pitch is good and there are forward- and rear-facing seats. Stations are announced on screen and by loudspeaker.

The scenery en route is quite unusual, at least for me. It’s not every day that I travel by train along routes with elegant palm trees and happy bougainvillea lining the sides of the railway tracks…

… or a Moroccan-liveried “Nez-casé”.

Arrival at Casa Port

The harbour at Casa Port is the terminus station of my train. I don’t know how old the station is, but it looks modern and fairly new. It’s also very clean.

I disembark the train and make my way to the exit at the end of the platform. I leave the station building. Right up ahead I can see the imposing mosque of King Hassan II. My hotel is off to the left, in walking distance of the station.

Conclusion

I rather enjoyed this short trip with the Moroccan railways. They also have a fleet of TGVs that are deployed on the highspeed route from Tangiers, up north, to Rabat and Casablanca further south. I’d love to give that one a try one of these days.

Other than that, the train was slightly delayed, but not overly so. More importantly, the train and the stations were all very clean.