Morocco launches 430km high-speed train project

Morocco has started construction of the Kenitra-Marrakech high-speed rail line in the capital city of Rabat.

This phase will add 430 kilometres of high-speed rail connecting Kenitra (an industrial centre on the coast in north-western Morocco) to the country’s economic hub, Casablanca, and further south to the historic city of Marrakech, serving the airports of Rabat and Casablanca, Morocco’s official MAP news agency reported. 

The kingdom already operates a high speed rail system along the Atlantic coast between Casablanca and Tangier.

The latest project is expected to be operational before the 2030 FIFA World Cup.

The 53 billion dirham ($5.7 billion) project will cut travel times, with Tangier to Marrakech taking two hours and 40 minutes and Rabat to Casablanca’s airport 35 minutes.

Part of a 96 billion-dirham rail modernisation plan, the Kenitra-Marrakech project includes construction of new stations and the addition of a new line between the two cities (designed for speeds of up to 350 kilometres per hour).

It includes improvements to the terminals in Rabat, Casablanca and Marrakech, upgrades to railway equipment, the establishment of new stations, the renovation of local stations and the construction of a train maintenance centre in Marrakech.

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Morocco is also planning to acquire 168 trains at a cost of 29 billion dirham, including 18 high-speed trains. 

The project will create thousands of jobs and establish a domestic rail manufacturing sector through partnerships with Alstom (France), CAF (Spain) and Hyundai Rotem (South Korea), the news agency said.

Earlier this month, Abdul Samad Qayuh, Morocco’s transport minister, said Morocco is planning to borrow to fund multi-billion dollar rail and airport projects as it prepares to co-host the Fifa World Cup in 2030.