فاس نيوز ميديا جريدة الكترونية جهوية تعنى بشؤون و أخبار جهة فاس مكناس – متجددة على مدار الساعة
Rabat – April 24, 2025 – His Majesty King Mohammed VI, may God assist him, today, Thursday, at the Rabat-Agdal train station, inaugurated the construction works of the Kenitra-Marrakech high-speed rail line (LGV), spanning approximately 430 kilometers.
This ambitious project, with a financial envelope of 53 billion dirhams (excluding rolling stock), reflects His Majesty’s enlightened vision aimed at improving the national rail network and aligns with the Kingdom’s strategic orientations, under the leadership of His Majesty, in the field of sustainable development, particularly the promotion of low-carbon collective mobility solutions.
The project embodies Morocco’s firm determination to continue developing the national railway network, so that it fully assumes its role as the backbone of a sustainable and comprehensive transportation system. This structuring project is part of a broader program requiring the mobilization of total investments of 96 billion dirhams, which also includes the acquisition of 168 trains at a cost of 29 billion dirhams to renew the ONCF’s (National Railway Office) current fleet, keep pace with development projects, and maintain performance levels with 14 billion dirhams, which will notably enable the development of three urban transport networks in the cities of Casablanca, Rabat, and Marrakech.
The Kenitra-Marrakech high-speed rail line project will connect the cities of Rabat, Casablanca, and Marrakech with a high-speed railway line, with connections to the Rabat and Casablanca airports. Thanks to this new project, the travel time between Tangier and Rabat will be one hour, between Tangier and Casablanca one hour and forty minutes, and between Tangier and Marrakech two hours and forty minutes (a time saving of over two hours). The project will also connect Rabat to the Mohammed V International Airport in Casablanca in 35 minutes, with a connection to the new Benslimane stadium as well.
A high-speed rail service between Fez and Marrakech is also planned within a travel time of approximately three hours and forty minutes (using high-speed trains running on conventional lines from Fez to north of Kenitra before continuing on the new high-speed lines to Marrakech).
The Kenitra-Marrakech high-speed rail line project specifically involves the design and construction of a new line between Kenitra and Marrakech with 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 suburban train stations, the upgrading of existing stations, as well as the creation of a maintenance and repair center for rolling stock in Marrakech.
The completion of the high-speed line extension between Kenitra and Marrakech, with the resulting freeing up of capacity on the conventional network, will provide an opportunity to develop a genuine suburban service, consisting of urban commuter trains, covering part of the collective transport needs for the residents of Rabat, Casablanca, and Marrakech. This new urban commuter train service is a real response to the urban mobility challenges in these major cities, offering numerous advantages in terms of punctuality, service quality, and sustainability.
Concurrently with the launch of the new Kenitra-Marrakech high-speed rail line construction project, the ONCF is launching an unprecedented program to acquire 168 new trains aimed at strengthening and modernizing its entire passenger service fleet. This acquisition, with an investment of 29 billion dirhams, will improve operational performance, strengthen regional services, and respond to the anticipated increase in passenger traffic by 2030. Specifically, the operation significantly involves the acquisition of 18 high-speed trains for extension projects, 40 intercity trains, 60 rapid shuttle trains, and 50 trains for urban mass transit networks in the three cities.
This ambitious program to acquire railway rolling stock will also facilitate the emergence of a railway industrial ecosystem. With a local integration rate of over 40 percent, the program demonstrates a strong commitment to Moroccan businesses and skills and will undoubtedly have positive impacts in terms of supporting the national economy, reducing transport costs, and promoting sustainable development. The program is specifically divided into two main components: an industrial component involving the creation and operation of a local industrial unit for train manufacturing and the establishment of a supplier and subcontractor network, and a second component involving the creation of a joint venture between the manufacturer and the ONCF to ensure permanent and industrial maintenance, covering the lifespan of the trains while controlling costs. This ten-year program will enable the training of human resources and the creation of several thousand direct and indirect jobs.
With this new modernization program, the entire Moroccan railway network is undergoing a genuine renaissance, not only concerning the extension of the high-speed train network to Marrakech but also the modernization, strengthening, and renewal of the ONCF’s train fleet, the creation of an urban mass transit railway network, and the establishment of a new and promising industrial ecosystem. This significant investment project to modernize the railway network has been carried out based on the expertise of renowned international companies, namely the French company Alstom for high-speed rolling stock, the Spanish company CAF for intercity trains (200 km/h), and the South Korean company Hyundai Rotem, specializing in urban commuter trains, under preferential financing terms.
