High-speed rail in Morocco

A Al Boraq Alstom Euroduplex at Tangier's Tanger-Ville Railway Terminal

Morocco's high-speed rail network was created when the first service, Al Boraq, commenced in 2018. This service runs on a line that connects the Moroccan cities of Tangier and Casablanca via Rabat with a 323 km (220 mi) line of which 186 km (116 mi) allows speeds up to 320 km/h (200 mph). As of March 2025 the Casablanca – Tangier high-speed rail line is the only high-speed rail line in the country with an extension to Marrakesh expected to be completed by 2030.[1] Al Boraq and other conventional passenger rail services are operated by Morocco's national railway operator ONCF. Under the 2040 Rail Strategy a total of 1100 km (684 mi) of high-speed rail is planned.[2]

The Al Boraq service is the first of its kind on the African continent, and as of March 2025 it is the only high-speed rail service in Africa until the completion of Egypt's high-speed rail project.

Rolling stock

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ONCF Alstom Eurouplex (Al Boraq)

High-speed service is provided by ONCF with its Al Boraq service. Currently there is only one type of high-speed train operating in Morocco although there are orders for more:

  • Alstom Euroduplex: operates at speeds up to 320 km/h (200 mph) in service and it's electrified at 25 kV and 3 kV. ONCF currently operates 12 train sets in a configuration of 2 first-class, 5 second-class, and a catering coach. Each train can carry 533 passengers. [3]
  • Alstom Avelia Horizon: it is planned to reach a top speed of 320 km/h (200 mph) in service. ONCF currently has 18 of these train sets on order with deliveries starting in 2027.[4] These additional train sets will help add service when the extension to Marrakesh opens.

Lines in operation

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See also: Al Boraq
Map of the Morocco high-speed rail network as of April 2025

Currently there is only one high-speed rail line of which only 186 km (116 mi) is true high-speed rail.

Line Connecting cities Opening date Travel time Top speed Length
LGV Tanger-Kénitra Tangier · Kenitra 15 November 2018 0h45[5] 320 km/h (200 mph) 186 km (116 mi)[6]

Casablanca — Tangier Corridor

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The Casablanca to Tangier line is currently the only line in Morocco which facilitates true high speed rail. This rail line is made up of two sections. The 186 km (116 mi) section which sees a top speed of 320 km/h (199 mph) is a newly built rail line between Tangier and Kenitra.[6] Between Kenitra and Casablanca the Al Boraq service runs on conventional rail line with a top speed of 160 km/h (99 mph).[7] High-speed services on the conventional portion is planned to be replaced by an all new rail line operating at a speed of 320 km/h (200 mph) which is due to open by 2030.[1]

The opening of the high-speed section reduced the travel time from Tangier to Casablanca to 2h10 down from a previous 4h45.[6]

Lines under construction

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Line Connecting cities Opening date Travel time Top speed Length
LGV Kénitra-Marrakech Kenitra · Rabat · Casablanca · Marrakesh[8] 2029 2h00[9] 320 km/h (200 mph) 430 km (267 mi)[8]
A bridge under construction on the Tangier-Casablanca line

A high-speed line completing the Casablanca — Tangier corridor and extending to Marrakesh has been mostly tendered out as of April 2025 and construction is expected to begin imminently.[10][11][12] Construction of the line is expected to be completed for an amount of 53 billion MAD. This 430 km line will be built double tracked electrified with it being designed for speeds up to 350 km/h (217 mph), although only speeds up to 320 km/h (200 mph) will be used in service.[8] As part of the project a 3.3 km (2 mi) tunnel will be built in Rabat connecting Sale and Rabat-Agdal station.[13]

Lines planned

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Currently, only the lines to Agadir and Fez are in the planning or feasibility study phase. The extension to Oujda is considered part of a future expansion but is not yet under active planning or study.

Line Connecting cities Opening date Travel time Top speed length
LGV Marrakech-Agadir Marrakesh · Chichaoua · Agadir[2] TBD 1h00[14] 320 km/h (200 mph) 239 km (204 mi)[15]
LGV Rabat - Fès[16] Rabat · Meknes · Fez TBD TBD 320 km/h ( 200 mph) 150[16] - 216 km (93-134 mi)[17]
LGV Fès - Oujda Fez · Taza · Taourirt · Oujda[18] TBD TBD 320 km/h (200 mph) TBD

Marrakesh to Agadir Corridor

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Al Atlas train service operating between Rabat and Marrakesh

A line from Marrakesh to Agadir is currently in the planning phase and land procurement has already begun. ONCF have also announced that the high-speed line will have a stop at Chichaoua,[14] a small town of less than 16,000. Originally the line was meant to extend to the resort town of Essaouira. However, due to the economics of the proposed project and the difficult terrain of the area the extension plans will not be moving forward.[19] Instead it is proposed that Essaouira and Chichaoua be connected by a 200 km/h (124 mph) service[14] such as a inter-city train service like the Al Atlas. Currently both Agadir and Essaouira are served by bus services operated by the countries national bus carrier, Supratours, a subsidiary of ONCF.

Rabat to Oujda Corridor

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A proposed high-speed rail line from Rabat to Féz via Meknes is undergoing feasibility studies.[20] Currently there are no further studies line extensions from Féz, however ONCF have announced the intent to build line all the way up to Oujda connecting the cities of Taza and Taourirt along the way.[2] There have also been talks of eventually expanding the line into nearby Algeria and its capital city of Algiers which would then connect to Tunis in Tunisia. This extension would cut the travel time between Casablanca and Tunis down from 48 to under 25 hours.[21][22] The construction of the high-speed line would closely follow the current conventional rail line that stretches from Kenitra to Oujda. It is currently not know if the line to Meknes would start from Kenitra or Rabat. The route is currently served by long distance and sleeper train services.

Morocco to Spain Connection

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See also: Strait of Gibraltar crossing

Despite being just 14 km or 9 miles wide at the narrowest point, no connection across the Strait of Gibraltar exists yet. Despite this, a crossing between Spain and Morocco remains a "strategic project" for both nations.[23] The crossing would be similar to that of the Channel Tunnel linking the UK and France. As of January 2025, Spain has contracted a company to complete a feasibility study into a project with it expected to be completed in June of the same year. The link would span from Cadiz in Spain to Tangier in Morocco.[24]

References

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  1. ^ a b "France and Morocco announce high speed rail investments as Macron visits Rabat". AP News. 2024-10-28. Retrieved 2025-03-31.
  2. ^ a b c "Plan Rail Maroc". www.oncf.ma. Retrieved 2025-03-31.
  3. ^ "Morocco signs a contract with Alstom for its first high-speed train". The Infrastructure Consortium of Africa. 2010-12-14. Retrieved 2025-04-06.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  4. ^ "Alstom will supply 18 Avelia Horizon trains for Morocco's high-speed rail expansion". Alstom. Retrieved 2025-03-31.
  5. ^ "LGV Tangier - Kenitra: Africa's first HSR". www.egis-group.com. Retrieved 2025-03-31.
  6. ^ a b c "Africa's first high-speed line is a triumph". SNCF Group. 2024-11-13. Retrieved 2025-03-31.
  7. ^ "Africa's first high speed line inaugurated". Railway Gazette International. 2018-11-16. Archived from the original on 2024-12-03. Retrieved 2025-04-06.
  8. ^ a b c "Green Bond Framework" (PDF). January 2025. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 31, 2025. Retrieved March 31, 2025.
  9. ^ Alami, Aymen (2024-12-10). "Morocco on Track to Shake-Up Railway Network". Morocco World News. Retrieved 2025-03-31.
  10. ^ Preston, Robert (2024-12-03). "Further contract awards for Morocco's Kénitra - Marrakech high-speed line". International Railway Journal. Retrieved 2025-04-11.
  11. ^ Smith, Kevin (2025-02-10). "Work progresses on Kénitra - Marrakech HS". International Railway Journal. Retrieved 2025-04-11.
  12. ^ Challenge (2024-10-22). "LGV Kénitra-Marrakech : Mojazine décroche le 7ème et dernier lot de génie civil". Challenge.ma (in French). Retrieved 2025-04-11.
  13. ^ "Morocco's ONCF launches tunnel project beneath Rabat". www.zawya.com. Retrieved 2025-03-31.
  14. ^ a b c "LGV Marrakech-Agadir: l'ONCF entame la sécurisation du foncier, trois gares déjà identifiées". Le 360 Français (in French). Retrieved 2025-04-01.
  15. ^ mwn (2023-10-28). "Marrakech-Agadir TGV Line: Morocco to Invest MAD 1.44 Billion in Study Phase". Morocco World News. Retrieved 2025-03-31.
  16. ^ a b Artymiuk, Simon (2022-07-26). "ONCF completes study into first phase of new Morocco high-speed line". International Railway Journal. Retrieved 2025-03-31.
  17. ^ A finalized route has not yet been announced, so these numbers offer an estimate.
  18. ^ "Railway in Morocco" (PDF).
  19. ^ Elhamzaoui, Badr (2024-07-23). "A Essaouira, un surprenant André Azoulay qui interpelle les ministres lors de l'Investor Day". Médias24 numéro un de l'information économique marocaine (in French). Retrieved 2025-04-01.
  20. ^ "ONCF to release tender for HSR between Fez and Rabat, Morocco | Global Mass Transit Report". globalmasstransit.net. Retrieved 2025-04-04.
  21. ^ BATRAK, OLEKSANDR (2024-08-28). "Trans-Maghreb Railway: A New Phase of Construction and Prospects for North Africa". Railway Supply. Archived from the original on 2024-09-06. Retrieved 2025-04-06.
  22. ^ Kasraoui, Safaa (2019-02-04). "AMU Wants to Connect Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia by High Speed Rail". Morocco World News. Retrieved 2025-04-06.
  23. ^ Faouzi, Adil (2025-01-23). "German Firm Herrenknecht to Study Spain-Morocco Undersea Rail Tunnel Project". Morocco World News. Retrieved 2025-04-09.
  24. ^ Smith, Matt (2025-01-22). "German company to assess proposed Spain-Morocco tunnel". AGBI. Retrieved 2025-04-09.
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