Morocco Rail Transport

Morocco Rail Transport

Rail transport in Morocco is operated by the national railway operator ONCF. It was initially developed during the protectorate.

Rail Transport in Morocco High Speed Rail

On 26 November 2018, the first high-speed rail line linking Casablanca and Tangier was launched. It is called Al Boraq (البُراق) in reference to the mythical creature that transported the Islamic prophets. This 323-kilometer-long (201 mi) high-speed rail service is operated by the ONCF. The first of its kind on the African continent, the line was inaugurated on 15 November 2018, by King Mohammed VI of Morocco following over a decade of planning and construction.

The line is constructed in two sections—a new route from Tangier to Kenitra and an upgrade of the existing route from Kenitra to Casablanca. The 186-kilometre-long (116 mi) Tangier–Kenitra line has a top speed of 320 kilometres per hour (200 mph), while the 137-kilometre-long (85 mi) Kenitra–Casablanca line was rated for 160 kilometres per hour (99 mph) when service began, with a planned upgrade to 220 kilometres per hour (140 mph). The trackage from Kenitra to Casablanca is planned to be eventually replaced by a new high-speed right of way, with construction scheduled to begin in 2020.

At the launch of service in 2018, the travel time between Casablanca and Tangier was reduced from 4 hours and 45 minutes to 2 hours and 10 minutes. The completion of dedicated high-speed trackage into Casablanca would further reduce the end-to-end travel time to 1 hour and 30 minutes. Al Boraq trains are scheduled to depart Casablanca and Tangier every hour from 06:00 until 21:00 (from 07:00 on Sundays).

Route Travel Time on Old Classic Railway   Travel Time 2018       Travel Time 2020

• Tangier-Kenitra             3h15                 50 min               47 min
• Tangier-Rabat               3h45                 1h20                   1h00
• Tangier-Casablanca     4h45                 2h10                   1h30
• Rabat-Casablanca        55 min             50 min                30 min

As of 2019, the rolling stock operating on the line consists of 12 Alstom Euroduplex trainsets, with each set comprising two power cars and eight bilevel passenger cars. The passenger capacity is 533 across two first-class cars, five second-class cars, and a food-service car.

The Tangier - Casablanca line is the first phase of what is planned to eventually be a 1,500 kilometers (930 mi) high-speed rail network in Morocco.

Rail Transport in Morocco Overview

Rail Transport in Morocco Operation: National railway: ONCF
Rail Transport in Morocco Ridership: 52.8 million per year (2023)
Rail Transport in Morocco Freight: 36 million tons per year (2012–13)
Rail Transport in Morocco System Length Total: 2,200 kilometres (1,400 mi)
Rail Transport in Morocco Track Gauge Main: 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge
Rail Transport in Morocco Electrification:
3000 V DC Main network
25 kV 50 Hz High-speed line