From Tunis to the Algerian frontier, the train leaves city life for rugged tradition

2006-12-08

The Tunis-Ghardimaou train goes from the cosmopolitan capital to a sleepy town on the Algerian frontier. On the way, passengers proudly describe local traditions and talk about a conductor and a fake policeman, who have both become legendary on the route.

By Jamel Arfaoui for Magharebia in Tunis – 08/12/06

[File] In the wee hours of the morning, passengers gather at the Tunis train station.

With the autumn sun’s morning rays, the train station begins to fill, little by little, with throngs of travellers, lodgers and porters. Vendors sell sweets, hot tea and coffee.

My train is headed to the city of Ghardimaou in the Jendouba governorate near the Algerian border. At five in the morning, the Tunisian capital's train station is already bustling with passengers coming from and going to the suburbs and provinces.

The departure time is announced for the 6 am silver train, distinguished from the blue, white and red suburban trains. We shuffle inside and sit opposite the boarding door, making it easier to people watch. Today, a weekday, passengers easily find empty seats.

The most difficult days are the holidays, the start of the school and summer vacation. During those times, travellers need reservations. Today is different. We can sip tea or coffee and eat sandwiches from the restaurant car.

An elderly passenger, Taher Bousalimi, returning from Jendouba, holds a piece of iron as though it were crystal. He says he had to go to the capital for this mechanical piece, without which his tractor, damaged at the start of the ploughing season, can't run. "It’s more valuable to me than gold," he explains, adding that he only goes to the capital out of necessity. For him, the trip is long and expensive.

Many Tunisians prefer train travel for both comfort and safety.

Zeina Iyasi, in her sixties, says she came to Tunis for prescribed x-rays. "I refused to return with my cousin in his car. I trust only the train, for it’s the safest [way to travel]," she said.

Mouktar prefers the train for long-distance travel, he says, "because of the serenity I feel when gazing out the window at nature—captivating in summer as well as winter." He added, "I hate taxis because the drivers are crazy."

In addition to the beautiful scenery, trains are attractive for their amenities, which include lounge compartments and internet access, although this has yet to be established on the Tunis –Ghardimaou line. There are also comfortable first-class cars.

[Getty Images] Many Tunisians prefer the safety and comfort of trains.

We arrive in the city of Beja, and a large group exits only to be replaced by others. Most of the new passengers are merchants going to meet their Algerian customers, who use the Ghardimaou as their trading site.

Algerians, for their part, come to sell cheap tires and aluminium, relatively expensive in Tunisia. During the Adha holiday, Ghardimaou residents in Europe return for vacations and sell European products, including cars.

The residents of Ghardimaou hold onto their traditions, which include gathering wild flowers and preserving their food in clay jugs and grinding grain using a hand mill. For food, they depend on grains, olives, bread, cows, sheep and goats. The city is known for several foods: barkoukesh, muhummusa, asida, zarika and souika.

While the village's traditions are interesting, the personalities on the train have become somewhat legendary.

For example, train conductor "Hamouda Ghardimaou" added the name of the region to his name because of his extensive work experience in the area.

"He was able to fix any problem on the train he conducted in pitch-dark by touch. Everyone who worked under his leadership loved him, as did the people of Ghardimaou. He would bring them items they wanted from the capital," his son Abdel Razak Sadiri, who works as an analyst in the laboratories of the national railroad company, said.

Although Hamouda died of heart failure 15 years ago, he remains a model citizen to the city's residents. Regular passenger Abdel Salam Hafsouni recounted, "He would let children inside the control cabin to tell them about conducting. His smile never left his lips. He was part of our lives just as the conductor’s car was part of his life."

Another unforgettable character: the fake policeman who used the train free of charge for a decade.

At the beginning of the year, newspapers announced the arrest of an elderly man who, impersonating a police officer, rode the train for ten years free of charge – a perk given to Tunisia's security personnel. The fake policeman had been using a false identity card to inspect train tickets. The man was tried on charges of counterfeiting documents, impersonating a police officer and riding the train for free for a decade.

Tickets for this route cost eight dinars for economy class and 11 dinars for first class. The Tunisian railway offers discounts to students and military personnel. Journalists with press passes ride for free, or pay a small fee if they wish to use the first-class cars.

[Getty Images] The railway links Tunisia's bustling capital to the sleepy frontier town of Ghardimaou.

Suddenly there is commotion. We have arrived at the end of the line. After our three-hour trip, travellers gather their belongings, scurrying for the exits. They’re eager to snag taxis to take them to their villages far from the station.

An elderly woman says, despairingly, "I’d jump from the train window if it weren’t for the overcrowded exit. They don’t respect the elderly like me and don’t notice us." I offered to be her personal guard when she exited.

Unlike the Tunis train station, which is equipped with modern facilities (such as ATMs and restaurants), Ghardimaou's station has maintained its old colonial feel, resembling French train stations with its red tiling and spacious waiting rooms.

Passengers step out into the fresh air of farmland. In this sleepy frontier town, time seems to have stood still. The pace of life is slower than in Tunis, but deliciously simple.

This reportage is the second of a three-part series on train travel in Maghreb countries. Last week, we rode on Algeria's railways. Next week, a train ride takes us across Morocco.