Morocco: news on the Marrakech - Agadir high-speed line

The questions and concerns raised by local elected officials and relayed to Parliament have sparked lively discussions, but recent information confirms the continuation of this major rail project. According to Al Ahdath Al Maghribia, the government plans, as part of the 2025 Finance Bill (PLF), to seal a financing agreement with the National Railway Office (ONCF), intended for several rail projects, including the connection between Marrakech and Agadir.

This confirmation comes even as an exchange took place during the last meeting of the Agadir municipal council. An elected official asked for clarifications from the council president, Aziz Akhannouch, who however neither confirmed nor denied the rumor of abandoning the project, a choice interpreted in various ways among the members. For some, this lack of response marked prudence, while others saw it as a desire to separate his functions as head of government and president of the council.

To allay concerns, the first vice-president of the council specified that studies, carried out by a Chinese firm, were already underway. This research has notably made it possible to establish details on the route of the future line. 240 kilometers long, the LGV between Marrakech and Agadir will require complex infrastructure work, with about 50 kilometers of tunnels, including a major one that will make it possible to avoid cutting the city of Agadir in two. The Hay Mohammadi district has moreover been chosen to host the future main station.

Furthermore, this progress is in line with the comments of Mohamed Rabie Khlie, CEO of ONCF, who had emphasized the success of the Tangier-Kenitra LGV as a lever for rail projects in Morocco. Khlie had also mentioned the country’s interest in having modern infrastructure in preparation for the 2030 World Cup, co-organized with Spain and Portugal.