Hot on the heels of a successful and enjoyable experience using Moroccan public transport, it was time to tick off another new country and it's railway system: Tunisia and SNCFT, Societe Nationale des Chemins de Fer Tunisiens; the name giving away the French occupation of Tunisia during the formative years of railways.
Most Brits, and northern Europeans, enter Tunisia via Monastir or Enfidha airports as part of a package holiday. Passing observation found Enfidha airport particularly popular with Czechs and Poles, with the likes of Smartwings and Enter Air operating many flights. However, unlike almost everyone else who was on some kind of organised tour or who had dedicated onward travel arranged (e.g. package holiday coaches or pre-booked transfer by taxi or minibus) I chose to use the hourly local bus in to Enfidha town and then train on to Hammamet. I was travelling to the centre of Hammamet whereas most tourist hotels/resorts/beaches are to the north of the city or to the south in Jasmine Hammemet.
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| Boarding the bus at Enfidha Airport. |
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| Bus interior is very spartan; being step entry the floor space is for a high number of standees, not wheelchairs etc. Note the conductor in a segregated box. I bought my ticker from the driver! |
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| Like most local buses the airport bus was an Alpha Bus bodied MAN. I think Alpha Bus are Tunisian and have developed over the last 20-25 years. |
There is very little useable online information regarding SNCFT timetables: they do have a website but it was difficult to produce any timetables or journey plans that made any sense, so my first task was to find the station. This was assisted by downloaded Google maps, and made much easier when the bus passed over a level crossing entering Enfidha town centre.
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| Entrance to Enfidha station: follow your nose and thou shalt find! |
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| Crossing over sidings to access the platforms |
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| The holy grail: timetable information! The top section is the 'main line' between Tunis and Sousse/Sfax, and the bottom the line between Tunis and Nabeul. |
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| Informal transport, hail & ride minibuses, are probably the main form of public transport on the African continent as a whole and gathered in central Enfidha. |
Back to the station in good time for the 14:30 train, with the intention of buying a ticket to travel. I have no idea where to get one despite come interaction with station staff about needing to change trains for Hammamet. My train would eventually arrive some 90 or so minutes late, which was incredibly tedious waiting in the mid-afternoon north African sun with very little in the way of shelter or shade! In the mean time two trains passed heading on the opposite direction.
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| General Motors loco hauled train |
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| Diesel rail car. Absolutely no idea who built it! |
Here are some images of Enfidha station....
Finally time to catch a train....the GM loco hauled train arrived about 90 minutes late and was "full and standing" on arrival. Despite having no ticket and no idea how to buy one I boarded, and treated myself to 25 minutes stood in the doorway of an intercity train (although it didn't go that fast) not so much hanging on for dear life, but trying to stop a loose internal panel continually hitting me on the head. Here's some photos from the journey to Bir Bou Regba....there aren't many as trying to take photos in a crowded train whilst by necessity using one hand to hang for most of the time isn't easy!
SNCFT then spell Bir Bou Regba a different way on the station signs, Bir Bouregba, which briefly threw me However Google Maps for the assist once again (however did we cope without?). Here is Bir Bou Regba on arrival, showing some of the nice station architecture and tiling, station cats (many) and customers using the platform edge as a seat.
As Bir Bou Regba is a junction station it was rather more organised than Enfida - and noticeably busier. This meant it had a proper ticket office. I didn't see anyone using it - I get the impression ticketless travel on SNCFT is very high - but I decided to try and buy a ticket for the short trip to Hammamet .... and succeeded!
I expected that my onward train to Hammamet would be one of the two-car diesel trains (of which I still have no idea who built them), and here is one at Bir Bou Regba heading in the opposite direction towards Tunis.
At this point you have probably worked out that Tunisian railway reliability would strike me again. After an announcement the station ticket office staff came out and told me in French/broken English (which I did appreciate) that the train to Hammamet had a long delay and that I should get a taxi. Anyone that knows me knows that taxis are strictly reserved for when there is no other choice or She Who Must Be Obeyed says so and arguing is futile.
I was on my own. So I walked. Along the railway track. The track was immediately next to the road, and I figured the trains must go so slowly that I would have ample opportunity to get out the way should a train come. Handily there was a parallel footpath most of the way which was a safer bet. At no point in the next multiple-drink-stops blister-inducing hour did I see a train!
And so Hammamet. My hotel had decorated the bed in rose petals, I found one bar that would sell me a beer, and the local buses were also Alpha Bus bodied MAN.
I took a taxi back to Enfidha Airport.