The first studies finalized concerning the route linking Rabat to Meknes via Khemisset
After the inauguration of the Casa-Tangier high-speed line (LGV) and the LGV Casa – Marrakech – Agadir project, another equally titanic and important project is being studied.
It seems that the authorities want to go at high speed in terms of rail transport. After the inauguration of the Casa-Tangier high-speed line (LGV) and the LGV Casa – Marrakech – Agadir project, another equally titanic and important project is being studied. It is obviously a high-speed line linking the capital to the city of Fez. It should be noted that this project is part of the overall medium and long-term strategy of the ONCF (Office National des Chemins de Fer) to connect the entire national territory to the rail network with the objective of eventually reaching a global network of 1,300 km and serve 43 towns compared to 23 currently.
It is also a question of increasing the rail market share in passenger transport to 87% against 51% for the moment in addition to the creation of 10 regional hubs of correspondence for the improvement and organization as well as convergence of the different modes of transport. The same plan ultimately aims to connect no less than 14 ports to the rail network in addition to 10 airports, in harmony with the national strategy aimed at supporting the port, industrial and logistics development of the country. In detail, the high-speed line project linking Rabat to the spiritual capital is an important component of this plan. In this sense, the ONCF has finalized in the first stage the studies concerning a first route linking Rabat to Meknes via Khemisset.
Concretely, it was a question of the feasibility study, the environmental and social impact study of the project as well as a study of the prospects for the mobility of travelers and goods through the Rabat-Fez line over the years. operation of this same line and finally a study of the socio-economic performance of the project. The next step concerns the realization of the execution studies in addition to the financial arrangement for the project. It must be said that officials intend to capitalize on the success of the first LGV line with the Moroccan public. During the board of directors held in January, ONCF officials announced that the high-speed train, Al Boraq, which completed its 3rd year of operation last November, counted in 2021, 100% new followers by carrying 2.4 million passengers, against 1, 3 million travelers in 2020 and the turnover generated followed the same trend, standing at 317 MDH in 2021 against 165 MDH in 2020 (i.e. 100%). During the same meeting, the Director General of the Office, Mohamed Rabie Khlie affirmed that “thanks to the good recovery of passenger activity and the resilience of freight transport activities, the Office plans to achieve 2021, a turnover of 3.5 billion dirhams against 2.8 billion dirhams in 2020, an increase of 25%”. The same source specified that during the year 2021, the Travelers activity experienced a remarkable recovery compared to 2020. Mohamed Rabie Khlie said that “thanks to the good recovery of passenger activity and the resilience of goods transport activities, the Office plans to achieve in 2021, a turnover of 3.5 billion dirhams against 2, 8 billion dirhams in 2020, an increase of 25%”. The same source specified that during the year 2021, the Travelers activity experienced a remarkable recovery compared to 2020. Mohamed Rabie Khlie said that “thanks to the good recovery of passenger activity and the resilience of goods transport activities, the Office plans to achieve in 2021, a turnover of 3.5 billion dirhams against 2, 8 billion dirhams in 2020, an increase of 25%”. The same source specified that during the year 2021, the Travelers activity experienced a remarkable recovery compared to 2020.
