High speed

High-speed across the world

According to the International Union of Railways, this concept refers to an entire system integrating: New generation high performance level trains Infrastructures for dealing with speeds of 300 km/h or more Development of existing infrastructures: speeds from 200 to 220 km/hr Sophisticated management, operation and security techniques A range of high quality services, well spaced out timetables, information, reservation, restaurant, on board and in station facilities. Across the work, more than 7 300 km of Major Lines currently running. In Europe, some 5000 km lines are in service (including 1800 km in France and 1500 Km in Spain and 6 000 scheduled for 2010.

Why High-Speed in Morocco?

The high-speed train projects in Morocco is indeed ambitious but are as necessary as realistic:

• Necessary to confront demand growing twice as quickly as the national passenger transport market and that the current network will be eventually able to handle.
• Realistic because in naturally fits into continuity.
• The modernization efforts on the national railway network carried out by ONCF relying on mastery of the railway products, its customer culture and mature capital base well adapted to the market.

By opting for high speed, Morocco joins the ranks of countries having adopted this technique, today benefiting from the innumerable incidences of positive fallout boosting sustainable development, territorial planning, growth and mobility.

High Speed Master Plan in Morocco

It is in this context that in 2005-2006 ONCF conducted a structure-building study that led to the development of a master plan for expansion of the railway network for high-speed trains in Morocco (TGVM).

The said master plan envisages the construction of a 1500 km network scheduled by 2030 to connect:

• Tangier to Agadir via Rabat, Casablanca, Marrakech and Essaouira in less than 4 hours (Atlantic Line).

• Casablanca to Oujda via Meknes, Fez in less than 3 hours (Maghreb line).

1st step of the High Speed project in Morocco

Today, the Moroccan high-speed train is coming to light.

Indeed, in an initial phase, two high-speed lines will be commissioned in 2015:

• The first one, north bound, will connect Tangier to Casablanca in early 2013.

  Las October this entailed the signing of an agreement between Morocco and France for the design, construction, operation and maintenance of the Tangier – Kenitra section of the line for a length of 200 km and speed of 320 lm/hr. The cost of the project according to preliminary studies is estimated to be of 20 billion MAD. It will allow travel between the two cities in 2 hr 10 min. instead of the current 5hr 45 min., and handling of a customer flow estimated at 8 million passengers per year.

• The second one, south bound, will connect Marrakech to Casablanca in 1 hr 20 min. by 2015 instead of the current 3 hr 15 min.

  The financial package for the 1st section (Marrakech – Settat 170 km long) is currently being studied.

  With high-speed project in Morocco, ONCFs outlook is expanding, but its ambition is to remain the same and to constantly raise the quality level of services to improve the daily lot of each and everyone.