• Morocco receives first 6,457 steel rails for Kenitra-Marrakech high-speed rail
• Project aims to cut major city travel times; launched April 2025
• Rail line supports 2030 World Cup plans with future Marrakech-Fez link
  

Morocco has received its first shipment of 6,457 steel rails for the Kenitra-Marrakech high-speed rail (LGV) project, according to local media reports. The cargo, weighing 13,000 tons, departed the Chinese port of Bayuquan on Saturday, November 15.

The rails are supplied by China Railway Material Group Hong Kong Macau Co. under an order for 36-meter 60E1 rails, which will also be used to upgrade existing track between Sidi Ichou and Fez. Deliveries are expected to be staggered over an 18-month period.

Construction of the new 430-kilometer high-speed corridor was launched by King Mohammed VI in April 2025. Designed for speeds of up to 350 km/h (217 mph), the line will significantly reduce travel times across major cities. Travel from Tangier to Rabat will take around one hour, while the Rabat-Casablanca journey will take one hour and forty minutes. The Casablanca-Marrakech trip will fall to two hours and forty minutes, shortening the current travel time by more than two hours on the conventional network.

The line will also connect to the main airports of the cities it serves and the future Grand Stadium in Benslimane, bringing the Rabat-Mohammed V Airport journey down to just thirty-five minutes.

A future link between Marrakech and Fez is also planned, offering a travel time of three hours and forty minutes using a combination of high-speed and conventional rail. The project is considered a key part of Morocco’s transport strategy for the 2030 FIFA World Cup, which the country will co-host with Spain and Portugal.

Henoc Dossa