Rail is a central piece of Morocco’s new government program for 2026-2031, according to Morocco World News. The 133-page document, presented to both houses of Parliament, describes infrastructure as a lever to end the isolation of regions and treats trains as a pillar of sustainable mobility.
Phase one: MAD 134 billion to 2030
The first phase covers the 2024-2030 investment program, valued at MAD 134 billion (about $13.4 billion). The program calls for speeding up four projects:
- Extending the high-speed line from Kenitra to Marrakech.
- Launching regional RER train services in five regions: Casablanca-Settat, Rabat-Salé-Kenitra, Marrakech-Safi, Tangier-Tetouan-Al Hoceima and the Oriental.
- Electrifying the Fez-Oujda line.
- Completing the rail link to the Nador West Med port.
The Kenitra-Marrakech line was reported to be about 30% complete as of May, with service planned for September 2029.
Phase two: 2030-2035 and the road to Agadir
The second cycle would begin works to extend high-speed rail to Agadir, with a connection for Essaouira. It also includes rehabilitating the Casablanca-Khouribga-Oued Zem line, building a new Oued Zem-Beni Mellal line via Bejaad, doubling and upgrading the 140-km Benguerir-Safi line, and adding capacity on the Fez-Oujda corridor. Stations would be renovated and new-generation stations built.
On the Agadir extension, a decree dated September 1, 2026 and published in the Official Gazette on September 7 declared the Marrakech-Agadir and Chichaoua-Essaouira high-speed projects to be of public utility. That step opens land acquisition procedures but does not mean construction has begun. Transport Minister Abdessamad Kayouh told lawmakers in May that the Marrakech-Agadir link alone would cost close to MAD 55 billion, with the High Atlas crossing the main technical challenge, and that no financing agreement had yet been signed.
What it could mean
Faster connections would matter for a country where visitor numbers keep climbing, as covered in our report on tourist arrivals this year. For now, the program sets 2035 as the horizon for the new cycle but does not detail financing or schedules project by project, so timelines for Agadir and Essaouira remain open.
Sources: Morocco World News; Hespress English
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