Rabat – Morocco’s National Railways Office (ONCF) announced the completion of the first phase of feasibility studies for the high speed Al-Boraq line linking Rabat and Fes.
The project was announced earlier this month, with a second phase of feasibility studies planned to focus on the environmental and social impact of the project.
Other studies are set to be launched to examine how the project will be executed, and how it will be financed.
The first phase was focused on the construction of a railway line between Rabat and Meknes, as part of the ONCF’s plans to expand rail service availability to 43 cities by 2040, up from 23 currently offered.
The expansion would allow railways to dominate the public transit market, with its market share increasing from 51% to 87%.
Al Boraq, Morocco’s high speed rail line, has proved to be popular so far. In 2021, it transported 2.4 million passengers, up from the previous year’s 1.3 million.
The turnover of the high speed line similarly increased, going from MAD 165 million ($16 million) in 2020 to MAD 317 million ($30.7 million) in 2021.
The high speed rail connection is also used as a business asset, with Morocco attempting to leverage its infrastructure to attract foreign investors and manufacturing opportunities.
As Africa’s first high speed train, Al Boraq was ranked as the sixth fastest train in the world by CNN Travel.
Read also: Morocco’s Al Boraq Trains To Start Using Clean Energy
