By Manal El Warraky
Today, at the Rabat-Agdal train station, King Mohammed VI inaugurated the construction of the 430-km Kenitra-Marrakech high-speed rail line.
This project aims to improve Morocco’s national rail supply and is part of the Kingdom’s strategic directions, under the leadership of the King, in the field of sustainable development, particularly the promotion of low-carbon mass mobility solutions.
It also reflects Morocco’s firm determination to continue developing its national rail network so that it can fully play its role as the backbone of a sustainable and inclusive transportation system.
This structuring project, with a budget of 53 billion dirhams (excluding rolling stock), is part of an ambitious program requiring a total investment of 96 billion dirhams. This program also includes the purchase of 168 trains for 29 billion dirhams, intended to renovate the existing fleet of the National Railways Office, support development projects, and maintain performance levels. This investment, totaling 14 billion dirhams, will enable the development of three urban transport networks in Casablanca, Rabat, and Marrakech.
With this new project, the travel time between Tangier and Rabat will be reduced to one hour, between Tangier and Casablanca to one hour and forty minutes, and between Tangier and Marrakech to two hours and forty minutes, a time gain of more than two hours. The project will also connect Rabat to Mohammed V International Airport in Casablanca in 35 minutes, as well as connect to the new stadium in Benslimane.
In the same context, it is also expected to provide a high-speed line service between Fez and Marrakech in an estimated time of three hours and 40 minutes. High-speed trains will operate on regular lines from Fez to northern Kenitra before continuing on the new high-speed lines to Marrakech.
The Kenitra-Marrakech high-speed line project includes, in particular, the design and construction of a new line between Kenitra and Marrakech at a speed of 350 km/h, the development of station areas in Rabat, Casablanca, and Marrakech (works on existing tracks), railway equipment, the construction of new high-speed train stations and commuter train stations, and the development of existing stations. It also includes the establishment of a vehicle maintenance and repair center in Marrakech.
This new urban commuter train service is a real response to the challenges of urban mobility in these major cities and offers numerous advantages in terms of schedules, service quality, and sustainability.
Coinciding with the launch of the new Kenitra-Marrakech high-speed line project, Morocco is launching an unprecedented program to acquire 168 new trains, aiming to strengthen and modernize its entire passenger service fleet.
This acquisition, which has been allocated an investment of 29 billion dirhams, will improve operational performance, enhance regional services, and meet the expected increase in passenger traffic by 2030. Specifically, the operation involves the acquisition of 18 high-speed trains for extension projects, 40 intercity trains, 60 express shuttle trains, and 50 trains for the three-city public transport networks.
With the new modernization program, the entire Moroccan railway network is experiencing a real renaissance, not only related to the extension of the high-speed train network to Marrakech, but also to the modernization, strengthening, and renewal of the ONCF train fleet, the creation of a public transport rail network, and the creation of a promising new industrial ecosystem.
This important investment project to modernize the railway network was carried out with the expertise of renowned international companies, namely the French company Alstom for high-speed mobile equipment, the Spanish company CAF for intercity trains (200 km/h), and the South Korean company Hyundai Rotem, which specializes in urban commuter trains, with preferential financing terms.
