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Delaplace, Marie.

Table 6. Population growth in Moroccan cities served by high‐speed trains
22

City Population Average annual rate of population growth, 2004–2014 (%)

Tangier 947,952 3.26
Kenitra 423,890 N/K
Rabat 577,827 ‐0.79
Salé 890,4 1.59
Casablanca 3,359,818 1.03

Source: based on data from HCP 2014.

The inhabitants of Fez (1,112,072 inhabitants), Meknes (632,079 inhabitants) and Marrakesh
(928,850 inhabitants) – a total of 2,673,000 residents – will also benefit from a significant
reduction in journey times to Tangier, but with an interchange at Kenitra.

However, a large part of Morocco is not only excluded from high‐speed rail access but
also excluded from the conventional rail network (see Map 1 above). Those areas of
Morocco to the east and south of Marrakesh (which represent half of the country’s
geographical area) are served by the Supratours bus network (shown in orange on Map
1). The populations of the Moroccan regions of GuelmimEs Semara (501,921 inhabitants),
Laâyoune‐Boujdour‐Sakia El Hamra (301,744 inhabitants), Oued EdDahab‐Lagouira
(142,955 inhabitants) (i.e. 2,097,629 inhabitants in total) and those in the south‐east
of Meknes‐Tafilalet (2,316,865 inhabitants) are not served by either the conventional or
the highspeed rail network.

The cities that are served, by contrast, are among the most dynamic cities in Morocco.
4.3 A first section of HSL that could reinforce existing dynamics

As indicated by the ONCF, the first section of high‐speed line should enable “the
rapprochement, synergy and integration of the two most dynamic regions of the Moroccan
economy: the Casablanca–Rabat–Kenitra historic core, and the emerging business leisure
and tourism centre in the northern region”. It is expected that “there will be significant
benefits in terms of […] the country’s international and regional reputation and its image
and attractiveness within the tourism and business sectors (investors, business community,
etc.)” (ONCF, p. 3).

High‐speed rail will benefit Tanger Med, which is one of the largest intermodal platforms
on the Mediterranean coast and the largest container port in Africa (World Bank, 2015.
For example, the HCP report (2016) points out that the regions of Casablanca‐Settat and
Rabat‐Salé‐Kenitra made the largest contributions to national GDP in 2014, with Rabat‐
Salé‐Kenitra generating 32% of GDP and Casablanca‐Settat 16.3%. The Tangier‐Tetouan‐Al
Hoceima region arrives in third position with 9.4% of GDP. These three regions are thus
characterized by GDP growth rates well above the national average (2.9%), with 7.1% for
the Rabat‐Salé‐Kenitra region, 5.3% for the Casablanca‐Settat region and 4% for Tangier‐
Tetouan‐Al Hoceima (HCP, 2016).
As in many countries, high‐speed rail service serves the most populous cities – and also the
richest ones – so as to generate sufficient demand.

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