Morocco Unveils Ambitious 2040 Rail Plan, Expanding High-Speed Network Across Africa

In an article published on August 1, Newsweek highlights the ambitious Morocco Rail Plan 2040. This is a medium and long-term master plan for the development of the national rail network by 2040, aimed at connecting major cities, modernizing conventional rail services and promoting economic development throughout the country. The cornerstone of the 2040 plan is the extension of the Al Boraq high-speed line, which currently connects Tangier to Casablanca, the American magazine notes, specifying that the opening of this 320 km line in 2018 has reduced the journey time from five hours by conventional train to two hours by high-speed train.

As the only African country to have a high-speed rail line (TGV), Morocco intends to consolidate and modernize its rail infrastructure, an ambition driven by King Mohammed VI to accelerate economic development throughout the kingdom and strengthen exchanges with the rest of the continent, the publication notes, before recalling the speech the sovereign addressed to the nation on the occasion of the fortieth anniversary of the Green March in 2015. "We also cherish the dream of building a railway line from Tangier to Lagouira, to connect Morocco to the rest of Africa. We pray that God will help us find the financial resources we lack today in order to complete the Marrakech-Lagouira line," King Mohammed VI had declared.

The ONCF plans to build 1,300 km of new high-speed rail lines as part of the Morocco Rail 2024 plan. This plan also aims to establish 3,800 km of new conventional rail lines to connect 43 cities instead of 23 currently and ensure the transport of 87% of the national population instead of 51% currently, while ensuring the connection of 12 ports (including 6 currently) as well as 15 international airports instead of the sole Mohammed V airport currently. The ONCF also plans to extend the TGV to Marrakech by 2030, in anticipation of the World Cup that Morocco will co-host with Portugal and Spain.

The high-speed rail line should foster new business opportunities and facilitate the movement of goods, consolidating Morocco’s position as a logistics hub between Europe and Africa, the author of the article believes.