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Morocco’s high-speed railway project linking two key cities in the west and central regions will be completed on time in 2029, according to the country’s rail operator.
The National Railway Office of Morocco (ONCF) said the project and other rail plans are part of the largest investment programme in its history, aiming to modernise and expand the North African country's railway infrastructure through 2030.
At the core of this strategy is the extension of the Kenitra‑Marrakech high-speed line, which will add roughly 430 km of new, electrified, double-track railway - extending the existing high-speed corridor that connects Tangier to Kenitra.
“With expected completion around 2029, the new line is expected to cut travel time dramatically, notably by reducing the journey between Tangier and Marrakech to about 2 hours and 40 minutes,” ONCF said in a statement carried by the local media outlets.
To support this expansion, ONCF has ordered 168 new trainsets — including 18 high-speed trains capable of reaching 320 km/h, plus intercity and suburban rolling stock to modernise and enlarge the fleet.
The investment plan is part of a larger 96 billion Moroccan dirhams ($10 billion)programme combining track expansion, fleet renewal, and development of metropolitan and regional transport networks across several urban areas.
(Writing by N Saaed; Editing by Anoop Menon)
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