Rabat – The African Development Bank (AfDB)’s “Africa’s Urbanization Dynamics 2022” report has listed the economic power and rail infrastructure of 2600 African cities in 34 countries.
The report listed the development of rail lines in Morocco, as well as the importance of Al-Boraq in increasing the efficiency of the Moroccan railway system.
The report has identified several “city clusters” in Africa with more than 2.5 million urban residents within a 100-kilometer radius. The Casablanca-Rabat-Meknes cluster is the fourth most populous, with over 14.5 million people.
The extension of suburban rail in Casablanca, which is expected to improve connections to the surrounding metropolitan area, is also mentioned in the report.
Morocco’s Al-Boraq is Africa’s first high speed railway, connecting Tangier and Casablanca. Al-Boraq opened up in 2018. It runs on an upgraded existing railway line as well as a newly built high-speed line that is capable of reaching speeds of 320 km per hour.
The opening of the 323-kilometer-long railway has cut travel times between Tanger and Casablanca from 4:45 hours to 2 hours and 10 minutes, roughly half the time it takes to drive the same route. The railway line provides connections every 30 minutes during peak hours and hourly during off-peak hours. The line carried 3 million passengers in its first 16 months of operation.
Morocco is also planning to construct a high-speed train line (LGV) between Marrakech and Agadir, according to a ONCF statement in January 2022.
Morocco’s Transport and Logistics Minister revealed on Monday that the project would cost up to MAD 75 billion ($7.5 billion).
Read also: Minister: ONCF Announces Marrakech-Agadir High-Speed Rail
The project is part of the ONCF’s plan to connect Moroccan regions via a network of medium and long-distance railways. The plan calls for the construction of 1,300 kilometers of new high-speed railways and 3,800 kilometers of conventional railways, connecting 43 cities.
