Page 51 - 360.revista de Alta Velocidad - Nº 6

High-speed rail in developing countries and potential inequalities of use: the case of Morocco

Tangier and Rabat, and by 51% between Tangier and Casablanca; in both cases, trains coming
from Kenitra will run on conventional lines (Table 5).

Table 5. Time savings in June 2018
Origin–
Origin–Destination Time savings (%) Time savings (%)
Destination
47 min instead of 3 h 15 3 h instead of 5 h
Tangier–Kenitra Tangier–Fez
(‐76%) (‐40%)
1 h 20 instead of 3 h 45 2 h 30 instead of 4 h
Tangier–Rabat Tangier–Meknes
(‐57%) 30 (‐41%)
Tangier– 2 h 10 instead of 4 h 45 Tangier–Marrakesh 4 h 30 instead of 8 h
Casablanca (‐51%) (‐44%)
Source: based on ONCF data. 0
Moreover, with the interconnection made possible in Kenitra, the high‐speed train will bring
Tangier significantly closer to other Moroccan cities like Fez, Meknes and Marrakesh. Although
the latter are currently well served in terms of frequency (two trains per hour between the
cities of Fez and Meknes on the one hand and Kenitra on the other), journey times are current‐
ly very long. Highspeed rail will significantly reduce these times, as Fez will be connected to
Tangier in less than 3 hours, compared to 5 hours today (a 40% reduction in travel time); and
Meknes will be connected to Tangier in 2½ hours, compared to 4¼ hours on average today (a
decrease of 41%).
Similarly, with the doubling and upgrading of the Casablanca–Marrakesh line, Marrakesh is
expected to be at 4½ hours from Tangier in June 2018, compared with 8 hours at present – a
decrease of 44%. Lastly, in Tangier, a connection will exist with El Jadida, a tourist town on the
Atlantic Ocean, with Tangier airport, and with the port dedicated to passenger transport (at
Tanger Med).
Beyond travel times, improvements in accessibility depend on the service frequency.
Each of the 12 duplex trains can carry up to 533 passengers and consists of 8 carriages (two
first‐class carriages, one buffet car and five second‐class carriages). The 10 trains in circulation
(2 will be kept in reserve) will allow for a maximum of 40 rotations per day. The frequency
between Tangier and Kenitra and then Rabat and Casablanca will make possible a frequency of
one train per hour (probably a little more during peak hours) from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. (compared
20
with 5.30 a.m. to 1.30 p.m. today with conventional trains). Although the timetable is not
currently known, it will be primarily intended to facilitate business mobility between the cities
served.
Improving accessibility will thus be extremely important for the cities that are on the network
(Tangier and Kenitra), and very important for those connected to the network but served on a
conventional line (Rabat, Casablanca, Fez and Marrakesh).

The overall population concerned by this line and its services can be estimated. If we consider
only the cities served by high‐speed lines and population centres near these cities served by
conventional lines, just over 6.2 million inhabitants of Moroccan cities – out of a national
population of 33 million – will benefit from this service . 22
21
20 Source: http://www.usinenouvelle.com/article/quand‐l‐oncf‐fait‐la‐promo‐en‐video‐du‐train‐a‐grandevitesse‐marocain.
N341962/.
21 Source: http://rgph2014.hcp.ma/Repartition‐geographique‐de‐la‐population‐d‐apres‐les‐donnees‐du‐Recensement‐General‐
de‐la‐Population‐et‐de‐l‐Habitat‐de_a380.html/
22 As with other indicators in developing countries, population data must be treated with caution, as accurate data
collection is often difficult to achieve.(tabla 6)

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