Plans afoot for construction of two new high-speed rail lines (LGV Est) in Morocco

Plans are underway for the construction of two new Ligne à Grande Vitesse Est européenne or rather high-speed rail lines (LGV Est) in Morocco, following the success of the Tangier-Casablanca LGV Est that was commissioned back in 2018 becoming not only Morocco’s but also Africa’s first high-speed rail line.

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Constructed at a cost of US$ 2bn, the Tangier-Casablanca LGV Est connected the two economic hubs in only 2 hours 10 minutes at a speed of 320 km/h (199m/h) instead of almost 5 hours on a regular train.

Planned routes for new high-speed rail lines (LGV Est) in Morocco

The first of the two new high-speed rail lines (LGV Est) in Morocco is planned to connect Marrakech to Agadir with the aim of bringing the southern provinces of the Noth African country closer together, while the second line will extend the Tangier-Casablanca LGV Est to Marrakech.

While giving a speech before the House of Representatives in mid-January 2022, Mohamed Abdeljalil, the Moroccan Minister of Transport and Logistics said that the development of these two new high-speed rail lines (LGV Est) in Morocco is a priority for the Cherifian kingdom.

According to minister Abdeljalil, the projects will require an investment of approximately US$ 11bn, and the government is currently at the stage of mobilizing the monies.

A part of ‘National Railway Infrastructure Development Plan

The project for the construction of the two new high-speed rail lines (LGV Est) in Morocco is part of the national network extension policy, known as the ”National Railway Infrastructure Development Plan”.

This plan was drawn up by the ONCF (the National Railways Office), and it particularly concerns the construction of approximately 1,300 km of high-speed line and 3,800 km of a conventional railway line.

These projects will reportedly make it possible to establish a better interconnection between the North and the South of Morocco in order to open up the Saharan regions and revitalize the economy and tourism.