Contrary to rumors circulating, Fez will not be connected to the high-speed network before 2030. Sources close to the matter confirmed that this deadline was not possible for the moment.
The ONCF focuses its efforts on two priority areas: the optimization of existing infrastructure and the development of the regional rapid network (RER). The aim is to make the current network profitable by increasing train speed and improving connections between lines.
Read: The TGV will arrive in Fez and pass through Meknes
“The goal is to reduce travel times by 30% to 50%,” indicate ministerial sources cited by Medias24. Concretely, the gradual replacement of the railway fleet with more efficient trains, capable of traveling at more than 200 km/h, should make it possible to bring Marrakech and Fez closer together, even in the absence of a high-speed line.
The extension of the Tangier-Kénitra line to Marrakech remains the absolute priority. The work should be completed by 2029 or early 2030. Only then will the ONCF be able to look into the case of Fez.
The project for a line serving the imperial city nevertheless appears in Morocco’s candidacy file for the 2030 World Cup. A way for the kingdom to display its ambitions in terms of developing railway infrastructure.
To finance this modernization, the ONCF has launched a vast plan to renew its fleet, providing for the acquisition of 100 new trains. A contract was also signed with France for the supply of TGV. Finally, the ONCF relies on French expertise for the construction of the Kénitra-Marrakech high-speed line, entrusted to the SYSTRA/EGIS group.
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