King Mohammed VI started a huge railroad upgrade across Morocco. The king launched a new high-speed train line between Kenitra and Marrakech on Thursday. This 430-kilometer project costs about $5.7 billion. It forms part of a larger $10.4 billion plan to improve all train services nationwide. The project aims to make travel greener with less carbon pollution.
The new line will connect major cities much faster than before. Trips from Tangier to Rabat will take just one hour. Travel from Tangier to Casablanca will take only one hour and forty minutes. People can go from Tangier to Marrakech in two hours and forty minutes, saving over two hours. Passengers will reach Casablanca airport from Rabat in just 35 minutes. Fast trains will also run between Fez and Marrakech in under four hours.
Morocco plans to buy 168 new trains for $3.1 billion. These trains will serve both high-speed routes and local transport networks. The purchase includes 18 high-speed trains, 40 regular trains, 60 fast shuttles, and 50 metro-style trains. This massive order will help create a train manufacturing industry in Morocco. Local companies will make at least 40 percent of the train parts.
The project will create thousands of new jobs over ten years. Workers will build the tracks, stations, and a train maintenance center in Marrakech. The trains themselves come from three international companies. France's Alstom makes the high-speed trains. Spain's CAF builds inter-city trains that reach 200 km/h. South Korea's Hyundai Rotem provides local metro trains for cities.
The new line will connect major cities much faster than before. Trips from Tangier to Rabat will take just one hour. Travel from Tangier to Casablanca will take only one hour and forty minutes. People can go from Tangier to Marrakech in two hours and forty minutes, saving over two hours. Passengers will reach Casablanca airport from Rabat in just 35 minutes. Fast trains will also run between Fez and Marrakech in under four hours.
Morocco plans to buy 168 new trains for $3.1 billion. These trains will serve both high-speed routes and local transport networks. The purchase includes 18 high-speed trains, 40 regular trains, 60 fast shuttles, and 50 metro-style trains. This massive order will help create a train manufacturing industry in Morocco. Local companies will make at least 40 percent of the train parts.
The project will create thousands of new jobs over ten years. Workers will build the tracks, stations, and a train maintenance center in Marrakech. The trains themselves come from three international companies. France's Alstom makes the high-speed trains. Spain's CAF builds inter-city trains that reach 200 km/h. South Korea's Hyundai Rotem provides local metro trains for cities.
