The National Rail Transportation Company (, abbreviated SNTF; ) is Algeria's national railway operator. The SNTF, a state-owned company, currently has a monopoly over Algeria's rail network of , although it is currently utilising only . Out of the total railway network, are ( of these are electrified) and are narrow gauge (as of 2008). History The beginnings The history of the railway in Algeria began with the colonisation of the country by France. On 8 April 1857, a decree ordered the creation of of railways, beginning with the construction of a standard gauge line from Algiers to Blida, which started on 12 December 1859. The French private company Compagnie des chemins de fer algériens started working on the line with the help of the French army on 11 July 1860. Around 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 8 September 1862. Afterwards, 5 other companies started the construction of new lines: 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) Between 1857 and 1878, the following lines (or parts of them) were finished, totalling , 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 Nationalisation After 1879, France divided the railway lines being built into categories of local interest or of general interest, with only the latter being eligible to receive state funding. The 18 July 1879 decree defined the extent of some "general interest" lines and ordered the construction of a further of railways to expand the existing network. Between 1879 to 1906, the following lines (or parts of them) were finished, totalling : Souk Ahras—Tébessa—Le Kouif—Tunisian border Berrahal—Ramdane Djamel Ouled Rahmoune—Khenchela El Guerrah—Biskra Sétif—Thénia with further lines to include Tizi Ouzou, Béjaia and Sour El-Ghozlane Blida—Berrouaghia Mostaganem—Relizane—Tiaret Oran—Arzew Es Sénia—Aïn Témouchent Sidi Bel Abbès—Tlemcen—Moroccan border Tabia—Crampel Méchéria—Béchar Tizi—Mascara In 1946, Algeria's total railway network comprised a total of of active lines, in addition to mine lines, significantly more