Kenitra-Marrakech TGV: A major project to be completed before the 2030 World Cup

The ONCF has already launched an international tender for the realization of the project to build the high-speed rail line connecting Kenitra to Marrakech. Designed for a maximum speed of 350 km/h, the line that will connect Kenitra to Marrakech will be operated at 320 km/h, over a route of about 450 km. It is planned to directly connect Tangier to Marrakech without going through Casablanca. Two routes have been proposed for the train’s arrival in Casablanca. It is also planned that the high-speed rail line will pass through an alternative route in Benslimane (the stadium) towards Nouaceur. This will host the establishment of a new station or distribution center.

Other projects recorded in the high-speed rail development plan: the construction of five major new stations in the "Casa Sud" area, Mohammed V airport, the new Nouaceur station, near the large stadium in Benslimane, and in the Palmeraie area of Marrakech, according to Medias24. As for the existing stations in Rabat Agdal, Casablanca Voyageurs, Bouskoura and Marrakech, they will be renovated to accommodate the additional high-speed trains. Not to mention the construction of suburban train stations is planned, with about thirty stations in the urban areas of Rabat, Casablanca and Marrakech to ensure the transfer of passengers to the high-speed trains and increase urban mobility, as well as the creation of bases for works and maintenance in the stations of Rabat Agdal, Ain Sebaâ, Bouskoura, Casablanca, between Nouaceur and the Berrechid station, at the level of Settat, Benguerir, Sidi Ghanem, and the new Marrakech station in the Palmeraie.

The completion of all the necessary studies for this project should take place in October 2024. The work on the Rabat tunnel should start in March 2024 and continue until April 2028. The civil engineering works will be carried out during the period from June 2024 to October 2027. The work on the railways used is scheduled from June 2024 to June 2029, while the railway equipment and system works will cover the period from October 2026 to May 2029.

Recently, the ONCF entrusted six companies with the clearing and preparation work of the Kenitra-Marrakech LGV route, at a cost of around 146 million dirhams, with an execution period set at 14 months. The work is divided into five lots.