On April 24, 2025, His Majesty King Mohammed VI officially launched, from Rabat-Agdal station, the extension of the Al Boraq High-Speed Rail Line (HSL) to Marrakech. This strategic project aims to strengthen connectivity between the Kingdom’s major cities and support its economic and tourism development.
A Major Infrastructure for National Mobility
The new 430-kilometer section of the HSL will connect Kenitra to Marrakech, serving Rabat and Casablanca. Designed for trains traveling at 350 km/h, this segment will reduce the travel time between Tangier and Marrakech to approximately 2 hours and 40 minutes, a gain of more than two hours compared to current routes. In addition, the journey between Rabat and Casablanca’s Mohammed V International Airport will be reduced to 35 minutes.
A structural investment of 10 billion USD
The project is part of a comprehensive investment program worth 96 billion dirhams (approximately 10.3 billion USD), including:
The construction of the Kenitra–Marrakech high-speed line, estimated at 53 billion dirhams.
The acquisition of 168 trains for 29 billion dirhams, including 18 Avelia Horizon high-speed trains supplied by Alstom, capable of carrying 640 passengers at 320 km/h.
The development of urban transport networks in the metropolitan areas of Casablanca, Rabat, and Marrakech. Modernizing and maintaining the performance of the existing rail network, with a budget of 14 billion dirhams.
A continental and sustainable ambition
This project is part of the Kingdom’s strategic vision for sustainable development and inclusive mobility. By extending the high-speed rail line southward, Morocco aims to have one of the most extensive high-speed rail networks in the world, with a total length of 630 km. This initiative also aims to stimulate the emergence of a national industrial ecosystem around rail, promoting job creation and technology transfer.
A deadline aligned with the 2030 World Cup
The schedule calls for the Kenitra–Marrakech high-speed line to be operational by November 2029, ahead of the 2030 FIFA World Cup, which Morocco will host with Spain and Portugal. This project thus contributes to improving accessibility to tourist and sporting sites, while strengthening the country’s international appeal.
With this new step, Morocco confirms its commitment to modernizing its transportation infrastructure and promoting sustainable mobility, thereby fostering its economic and social development.
