Al Boraq Goes South: Morocco's High-Speed Rail Push To 2030

Africa's First Bullet Train

Al Boraq, launched between Tangier and Kenitra, was the first high-speed rail line on the African continent and quickly became a symbol of Morocco's infrastructure ambitions. It demonstrated that a fast, modern rail backbone was viable in the country and built operational experience.

The next phase extends the network onward through Rabat and Casablanca toward Marrakech, completing a true high-speed spine down the populated Atlantic axis rather than stopping in the north. This turns a single line into a national network.

The New Corridor

Construction of a roughly 430-kilometre high-speed corridor toward Marrakech was launched by King Mohammed VI in April 2025, designed for speeds up to around 350 kilometres per hour. The first shipments of steel rails for the project arrived later in the year, signalling a move from planning to execution.

Once complete, the line is expected to cut Casablanca-Marrakech journeys to around 90 minutes from more than three hours today, and to bring Tangier within roughly two and a half hours of Marrakech. These gains would transform domestic mobility along the corridor.

Tied To The World Cup

The extension is closely linked to Morocco's co-hosting of the 2030 World Cup. Several host cities, including Tangier, Rabat, Casablanca and Marrakech, sit along the future corridor, so the rail line is designed in part to move fans efficiently between venues.

More broadly, the project strengthens connectivity between the north and centre of the country, supporting tourism, business travel and labour mobility. It is one of the clearest examples of World Cup deadlines accelerating infrastructure that serves long-term national goals.

Toward A Wider Network

Morocco's rail ambitions extend beyond 2030, with longer-horizon plans to expand high-speed and conventional rail further across the country, reflecting a sustained commitment to rail as a backbone of mobility and decarbonisation.

Delivering the Marrakech extension on time and on budget is the immediate test. If successful, it cements Morocco's lead in African high-speed rail and provides a template, and political momentum, for extending the network in the years that follow.

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