Casablanca–Tangier High-speed Rail Line
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Al Boraq () is a
high-speed rail High-speed rail (HSR) is a type of rail transport network utilising trains that run significantly faster than those of traditional rail, using an integrated system of specialised rolling stock and dedicated railway track, tracks. While there is ...
service between
Casablanca Casablanca (, ) is the largest city in Morocco and the country's economic and business centre. Located on the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coast of the Chaouia (Morocco), Chaouia plain in the central-western part of Morocco, the city has a populatio ...
and
Tangier Tangier ( ; , , ) is a city in northwestern Morocco, on the coasts of the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. The city is the capital city, capital of the Tanger-Tetouan-Al Hoceima region, as well as the Tangier-Assilah Prefecture of Moroc ...
in
Morocco Morocco, officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It has coastlines on the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to Algeria–Morocc ...
. The first of its kind on the African continent, it opened on 15 November 2018 after a decade of planning and construction by ONCF, Morocco's national railway company. On the section from Tangier to
Kenitra Kenitra (, , , ) is a city in northwestern Morocco. It is a port on the Sebou River with a population of 507,736 as of 2024. It is one of the three main cities of the Rabat-Salé-Kénitra region and the capital of the similarly named Kénitra ...
, trains run on a dedicated high-speed line and travels up to . For the final , trains run on an upgraded mainline from Kenitra through
Rabat Rabat (, also , ; ) is the Capital (political), capital city of Morocco and the List of cities in Morocco, country's seventh-largest city with an urban population of approximately 580,000 (2014) and a metropolitan population of over 1.2 million. ...
and Morocco’s most populous corridor to Casablanca. It is the first phase of the country's planned high-speed rail network.


Name

King Mohammed VI of Morocco named the service Al Boraq (البُراق) after the creature in Islamic tradition believed to have transported some prophets, including the Islamic prophet
Muhammad Muhammad (8 June 632 CE) was an Arab religious and political leader and the founder of Islam. Muhammad in Islam, According to Islam, he was a prophet who was divinely inspired to preach and confirm the tawhid, monotheistic teachings of A ...
from
Mecca Mecca, officially Makkah al-Mukarramah, is the capital of Mecca Province in the Hejaz region of western Saudi Arabia; it is the Holiest sites in Islam, holiest city in Islam. It is inland from Jeddah on the Red Sea, in a narrow valley above ...
to
Jerusalem Jerusalem is a city in the Southern Levant, on a plateau in the Judaean Mountains between the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. It is one of the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest cities in the world, and ...
during the night journey.


History

Early studies into the feasibility of high-speed rail in Morocco began in 2003, and by 2006 the route between Tangier and Kenitra had been identified as being among the first lines to be constructed. In 2007, preliminary agreements to manage the project were signed, and ONCF announced plans to purchase 18
Alstom Alstom SA () is a French multinational rolling stock manufacturer which operates worldwide in rail transport markets. It is active in the fields of passenger transportation, signaling, and locomotives, producing high-speed, suburban, regional ...
trainsets. In 2008, ONCF said that it planned to begin construction that year, with operations to begin in 2013. Financing was not finalised until February 2010, when ONCF signed agreements worth 20 billion dirhams (DH). Direct investments came from the Moroccan government, which allocated DH4.8 billion to the project, and European sources, which invested a total of DH1.9 billion, while the remaining DH12.3 billion came from commercial loans. DH10 billion were to be spent on infrastructure, with DH5.6 billion going to supporting equipment and DH4.4 billion to
rolling stock The term rolling stock in the rail transport industry refers to railway vehicles, including both powered and unpowered vehicles: for example, locomotives, Railroad car#Freight cars, freight and Passenger railroad car, passenger cars (or coaches) ...
. At the time, work was expected to start in mid-2010, with service beginning in December 2015. In December 2010, ONCF signed a final agreement to purchase 14 Alstom
Euroduplex Avelia Euroduplex, more commonly known simply as Euroduplex or TGV 2N2 in France, is a High-speed rail, high-speed Bilevel rail car, double-decker train manufactured by Alstom. It is primarily operated by the French national railway company SNCF ...
trainsets. Following further delays, construction of the line began on 29 September 2011, when a groundbreaking ceremony took place in Tangier. On 25 September 2012, work began on a project to increase capacity on the trackage between Kenitra and Casablanca by constructing a dedicated freight track in the existing
right of way A right of way (also right-of-way) is a specific route that people, animals, vehicles, watercraft, or utility lines travel, or the legal status that gives them the right to do so. Rights-of-way in the physical sense include controlled-access h ...
, allowing for passenger trains to access Casablanca from the high-speed line to Tangier. In addition to the rail construction, stations in four locations (Tangiers, Kenitra, Rabat/ Agdal, and Casablanca) were either constructed from the ground up or rebuilt from existing facilities. On 19 June 2015, rolling stock deliveries began with the arrival of the first trainset in Tangier. In September, the service facility for the trains in Tangier was completed and a joint venture between ONCF and French rail operator
SNCF The Société nationale des chemins de fer français (, , SNCF ) is France's national State-owned enterprise, state-owned railway company. Founded in 1938, it operates the Rail transport in France, country's national rail traffic along with th ...
was established to maintain the trains for a 15-year contract. In February 2017, testing of the trains at revenue speeds began; during the test program, an African rail speed record of was set. In October 2017, track construction was completed, followed by installation of the new electric
catenary In physics and geometry, a catenary ( , ) is the curve that an idealized hanging chain or wire rope, cable assumes under its own weight when supported only at its ends in a uniform gravitational field. The catenary curve has a U-like shape, ...
that November. The electrical system was energised for the first time in January 2018, and the line's control facility came online the following month. By mid-2018, the stations had been completed, though the expected entry into service was pushed back to the end of the year, as trial runs over the route had yet to be operated. On 15 November 2018, the Al Boraq service was inaugurated at a Tangier ceremony on a special train that traveled to Rabat; revenue service was to begin by the end of the year. By 25 December 2018, trains were scheduled to depart Casablanca every two hours from 06:00 until 21:00. The inauguration of the high-speed rail service also came with the opening of several new or renovated train stations: Tanger-Ville Railway Terminal, Kenitra Station, Rabat-Agdal Station, and
Casa-Voyageurs Railway Station The Casa-Voyageurs Railway Station (; ) is an ONCF (, "Moroccan National Railway") station in the Belvedere (Casablanca), Belvedere neighborhood of Casablanca. The station is served by suburban and long-distance trains. It is Casablanca's princi ...
. In January 2022,
Mohamed Abdeljalil Mohammed Abdeljalil (born 4 August 1968) is a Moroccan politician. Previously, he had served as Ministry of Equipment, Transport and Logistics (Morocco), Minister of Transport & Logistics from 7 October 2021 until 23 October 2024. Education Ab ...
, Morocco's Minister of Transport and Logistics, announced that the Al-Boraq network would eventually terminate in
Agadir Agadir (, ; ) is a major List of cities in Morocco, city in Morocco, on the shore of the Atlantic Ocean near the foot of the Atlas Mountains, just north of the point where the Sous River, Souss River flows into the ocean, and south of Casabla ...
and announced the construction of a high-speed line which would connect Agadir with
Marrakesh Marrakesh or Marrakech (; , ) is the fourth-largest city in Morocco. It is one of the four imperial cities of Morocco and is the capital of the Marrakesh–Safi Regions of Morocco, region. The city lies west of the foothills of the Atlas Mounta ...
. In November 2022, Abdeljalil announced the construction of dedicated high-speed tracks that would connect Marrakesh to the original line via Kenitra. The construction is to take place in three segments, with the segment connecting Kenitra with
Aïn Sebaâ Aïn Sebaâ () is an arrondissement of eastern Casablanca, in the Aïn Sebaâ - Hay Mohammadi district of the Casablanca-Settat region of Morocco Morocco, officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Af ...
to be constructed first. Then a extension will be built from Aïn Sebaâ to Nouaceur, and then finally the construction of new tracks from Nouaceur to Marrakesh, with the cities apart. Tests were run on the current tracks from Casablanca to Marrakesh in January 2023, reaching . The plan is to continue to test the current tracks between Casablanca and Marrakesh, with ONCF hoping that a top speed of can be reached safely.


Infrastructure

The line is made up of two sections—a new route from Tangier to Kenitra and an upgrade of the existing route from Kenitra to Casablanca. The Tangier–Kenitra line has a top speed of , while the Kenitra–Casablanca line was rated for when service began, with a planned upgrade to . The trackage from Kenitra to Casablanca is to be eventually replaced by a new high-speed right of way, with construction scheduled to begin in 2020. Two electrification types are used—from Tangier to Kenitra, the new trackage was built with electrification while the line from Kenitra to Casablanca retained the existing catenary. The
ETCS The European Train Control System (ETCS) is a train protection system designed to replace the many incompatible systems used by European railways, and railways outside of Europe. ETCS is the signalling and control component of the European ...
-type signal system was installed by
Ansaldo STS Hitachi Rail STS SpA (from ''Hitachi Rail Signalling and Transportation Systems'') or Hitachi Rail STS (previously Ansaldo STS) is an Italian transportation company owned by Hitachi with a global presence in the field of railway signalling and in ...
and Cofely Ineo. At service launch in 2018, travel time between Casablanca and Tangier dropped from 4 hours and 45 minutes to 2 hours and 10 minutes. Completion of dedicated high-speed trackage to Casablanca would further reduce travel time to 1 hour and 30 minutes.


Rolling stock

The twelve (14 were originally ordered) Alstom Euroduplex trainsets operating on the line are bilevel and have a passenger capacity of 533. Each trainset is composed of two
power car In rail transport, the expression power car may refer to either of two distinct types of rail vehicle: *a vehicle that propels, and commonly also controls, a passenger train, potentially a multiple unit train, often as the lead vehicle; *a veh ...
s and eight
passenger cars A car, or an automobile, is a motor vehicle with wheels. Most definitions of cars state that they run primarily on roads, Car seat, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport private transport#Personal transport, peopl ...
(two first-class cars, five second-class cars, and a buffet car). 18 Avelia Horizon trains were ordered from Alstom in March 2025, at a value of €781 million. File:ONCF TGV.jpg, ONCF RGV2N2. File:Al Boraq Train Ticket.jpg, Train ticket from Tangier to Casablanca File:Al boraq first class.jpg, View of first-class seats File:ONCF Al Boraq Second Class.jpg, View of second-class seats


See also

* Transport in Morocco * Alstom E 1400 * Corail


References

{{Authority control Railway lines in Morocco High-speed rail in Morocco 25 kV AC railway electrification Standard-gauge railways in Morocco