“With a budget of 96 billion dirhams, this railway initiative goes far beyond the construction of rails. It marks the beginning of a new era of economic, industrial and territorial transformation for the kingdom, ”writes the magazine Finances News Hebdo. With a length of 430 km, the Kenitra-Marrakech LGV will reduce the journey time between Tangier and Marrakech for less than 3 hours and quickly serve 5 regions representing 67 % of the Kingdom’s GDP.
But beyond that, this megaprojet aims to redefine the economic geography of Morocco, to strengthen the mobility and attractiveness of the regions, to promote the emergence of new economic poles and to energize the national economy. According to Youssef Guerraoui Filali, president of the Moroccan center for governance and management, quoted by the magazine, “This LGV will constitute a real lever for the Marrakech region, still marked by the consequences of the earthquake of Al Haouz. This project will open the way to global economic development, beyond the tourism sector, by strengthening industry, agro-industry and services ”.
To read: This is what the TGV Kenitra-Marrakech will look like
In addition to contributing to the modernization of the rail network, the LGV Kenitra-Marrakech offers the opportunity in Morocco to develop a competitive rail industry at the African level and in the MENA region. “We have a current integration rate of around 40 %. It is imperative that Morocco appropriates the entire industrial process to develop a strong local brand, ”explains Guerraoui. The project gives pride of place to very small and medium -sized businesses (TPME) and could benefit hundreds of local players.
“This project will generate 10,000 direct and indirect positions, and the reduction in journey time will have a considerable impact on Marrakech’s economic competitiveness,” explains Guerraoui, adding that Marrakech, whose average GDP per inhabitant is much lower than that of Casablanca and Rabat-Salé-Kénitra, “must now follow this momentum to fill the economic and social ditch”.
