When will Morocco's high-speed train reach Marrakech?

Morocco's high-speed train is due to reach Marrakech in 2029. The 430 km Kenitra-Marrakech line, launched on 24 April 2025, was about 30% built in May 2026, and the Transport Minister targets delivery in September 2029. Official target times are 1h15 from Casablanca and 2h40 from Tangier. For property, we expect the effect to concentrate near the five named stations rather than lift whole cities.

Updated 5 October 2026

Key facts

The Kenitra-Marrakech high-speed line is 430 km long and costs MAD 53bn, within a MAD 96bn ONCF rail programme (Le360, May 2026; Hespress).
King Mohammed VI launched construction on 24 April 2025; the Transport Minister put progress at about 30% in May 2026 and targets delivery in September 2029 (Le360).
Official target times are Casablanca-Marrakech 1h15, Rabat-Marrakech 1h40, Tangier-Marrakech 2h40 and Rabat to Mohammed V Airport 35 minutes (Maroc.ma, April 2025).
The named stations are Rabat, Grand Stade Hassan II at Benslimane, Casablanca, Mohammed V Airport and Marrakech (Le360, May 2026).
ONCF has ordered 168 trains for MAD 29bn: 18 high-speed trains from Alstom, 40 intercity trains from CAF and 110 regional trains from Hyundai Rotem (ONCF).
A decree of 1 September 2026 declared a Marrakech-Agadir line and a Chichaoua-Essaouira high-speed branch of public utility, with no construction or opening date set (Bulletin Officiel no. 7541, via Le Matin).
The existing Tangier-Casablanca Al Boraq line carried 5.6 million passengers in 2025 (ONCF).

Route, cost and timeline of the Kenitra-Marrakech line

The new line extends Al Boraq, Morocco's high-speed service, south from Kenitra through Rabat and Casablanca to Marrakech: 430 km of track costed at MAD 53bn. It is the largest part of a MAD 96bn ONCF programme that also includes MAD 29bn for 168 new trains and MAD 14bn that Hespress (January 2025) attributes to about 40 new or rebuilt stations.

King Mohammed VI launched construction in Rabat on 24 April 2025. By May 2026 ONCF reported about 20 million m³ of earthworks and 15 viaducts under way, and Transport Minister Abdessamad Kayouh put overall progress at about 30%, on schedule.

Delivery is targeted for September 2029, according to the minister. Médias24 reported first commercial trains from November 2029 at the launch, and Hespress has cited the end of 2029. Every reported date lands in 2029, only months before the World Cup in June-July 2030, which leaves little margin for delay.

How long will the train from Casablanca or Tangier to Marrakech take?

The official targets are 1h15 from Casablanca to Marrakech and 2h40 from Tangier, according to government launch materials published in April 2025. The full list:

Casablanca-Marrakech: 1h15
Rabat-Marrakech: 1h40
Tangier-Marrakech: 2h40, more than two hours faster than today
Tangier-Casablanca: 1h40 (2h10 today)
Tangier-Rabat: 1h (1h20 today)
Rabat-Mohammed V Airport: 35 minutes
Fès-Marrakech: 3h40

One figure does not match. In a May 2026 briefing, Minister Kayouh described Tangier-Marrakech falling from 6h30 to 3h30, not 2h40. We have found no official explanation for the gap, which may reflect a service stopping at every station. We treat 2h40 as the official best case and 3h30 as a plausible everyday timing.

The minister also gave 55 minutes from Mohammed V Airport to central Marrakech. For second-home owners that may matter more than city-to-city times: it puts Marrakech within an hour of Morocco's main long-haul airport (see our airports guide).

Which stations are planned, and where could property feel it?

Five stops have been named: Rabat, the Grand Stade Hassan II at Benslimane, Casablanca, Mohammed V Airport and Marrakech.

Marrakech

At 1h15 from Casablanca and 1h40 from Rabat, Marrakech becomes a realistic weekend base for professionals in both cities, without a car. Demand is already firm: official data show Marrakech transactions up 24.1% in 2025 while prices rose 1.0%. We expect the train to deepen that buyer pool rather than reprice the city overnight.

Benslimane and the Grand Stade

ONCF awarded a MAD 415.5m contract for the Grand Stade station in March 2026, according to Médias24. Land in Benslimane province reportedly reached up to MAD 1,000/m² after the stadium was sited there (Médias24, February 2025). Much of the surrounding land is semi-rural, so zoning matters: see our Grand Stade guide.

Casablanca airport zone and Nouaceur

The new airport terminal will contain its own high-speed station; Maroc.ma later gave the trip from Rabat as about 30 minutes (July 2025), against 35 minutes in the April 2025 targets. Casablanca's planned regional express rail (RER), three lines and 92 km due by 2030 with trains every 15 minutes, adds a Nouaceur Nouvelle Ville station and links to Mohammedia and Benslimane.

Rabat and Tangier

Both are already on Al Boraq, so their gain is reach: Rabat to the airport in 35 minutes, Tangier to Marrakech in 2h40 on the official target. Rabat had the strongest price growth of the four big cities in 2025, at 3.5%, though no source attributes that to rail.

What happened in Tangier and Kenitra after Al Boraq opened in 2018?

Al Boraq is the best local precedent, and its lesson is patience. Since its inauguration on 15 November 2018, Tangier-Casablanca has taken 2h10 instead of about 4h45 (according to Wikipedia), and the line carried 5.6 million passengers in 2025.

We found no study that isolates its effect on house prices. Tangier's official index rose 0.6% in 2025, seven years after the opening, and the city's transformation owes at least as much to the Tanger Med port and its car plants. Kenitra, 50 minutes from Tangier by train and home to a Stellantis plant, posted prices up 0.7% quarter on quarter in Q2 2026.

The pattern so far: a fast train widens the pool of buyers, tenants and visitors and supports resale liquidity, but in Morocco it has not produced sudden price jumps. Nationally, the official index rose 0.6% in 2025 and 0.7% year on year in Q2 2026 (see property prices).

Agadir and Essaouira: high-speed lines declared, not scheduled

The next extensions now have legal standing but no timetable. Decree 2.26.605 of 1 September 2026, published in Bulletin Officiel no. 7541 on 7 September, declared a Marrakech-Agadir line and a Chichaoua-Essaouira high-speed branch of public utility, which allows expropriation to begin.

Marrakech-Agadir is estimated at about MAD 55bn, with close to 70% of the work in bridges and tunnels across the High Atlas. Studies are complete and international financing is being sought. For Essaouira, which has no rail service, Minister Kayouh said the branch would cut Marrakech-Essaouira to about one hour, against more than 2.5 hours by road.

Online claims of a MAD 87bn Agadir line opening in June 2030 have no official support: Le Matin reported in September 2026 that no completion date has been announced. For buyers in Agadir or Essaouira, the train is a long-term option worth knowing about, not something to pay for in today's price.

What to check before paying a premium near a future station

A station premium only makes sense if the station, the service and the title all hold up. Our checklist:

Exact site and access: a home sold as near the TGV is only as useful as the walk or drive to the platform.
Opening risk: reported dates already range from September to the end of 2029, so assume regular services from 2029-2030 at the earliest.
Service pattern: stops and frequency matter more than top speed, as the 2h40 versus 3h30 Tangier-Marrakech gap shows.
Construction disruption: in Casablanca the airport shuttle was suspended on 5-6 September 2026, and ONCF announced the progressive closure of the Facultés and Ennassim stations during works.
Title and zoning: land near new stations is often agricultural or held under Melkia. Check for a Titre Foncier and the urban plan before signing (see our title guide).

Every listing on our site is checked at the land registry for a Titre Foncier and confirmed by a notaire before publication. That removes the title risk, not the timing or location risks.

Sources

Frequently asked questions

When will the high-speed train to Marrakech open?

In 2029, if the official schedule holds. Transport Minister Abdessamad Kayouh targeted delivery of the Kenitra-Marrakech line for September 2029 when construction was about 30% complete in May 2026. Other reports cite first commercial trains in November 2029 or at the end of 2029. All reported timelines place the opening before the 2030 World Cup.

How long will the Casablanca to Marrakech high-speed train take?

1h15 is the official target. Government launch materials published in April 2025 give Casablanca-Marrakech in 1h15 and Rabat-Marrakech in 1h40 once the line opens. The Transport Minister has also said Mohammed V Airport to central Marrakech will take about 55 minutes. We have not found published timetables, frequencies or fares.

Will there be a high-speed train to Agadir?

Planned, but not scheduled. A decree of 1 September 2026 declared the Marrakech-Agadir high-speed line of public utility, allowing land acquisition to start. The line is estimated at about MAD 55bn, studies are complete and financing is being sought. No construction start or opening date has been announced, so claims of a 2030 opening are unsupported.

Is there a train to Essaouira?

No, not today. Essaouira has no rail service. The September 2026 decree also declared a Chichaoua-Essaouira high-speed branch of public utility, and the Transport Minister said it would bring Marrakech-Essaouira down to about one hour, against more than 2.5 hours by road. No construction or opening date for the branch has been set.

Is Al Boraq the same as the TGV in Morocco?

Yes. Al Boraq is the brand of Morocco's high-speed service, often called the TGV. It was inaugurated on 15 November 2018 between Tangier and Casablanca, runs at up to 320 km/h on 186 km of dedicated track and carried 5.6 million passengers in 2025. ONCF has ordered 18 Alstom Avelia Horizon double-deck trains for the Marrakech extension.

Do property prices rise near new train stations in Morocco?

Not quickly, on the evidence so far. No study has isolated Al Boraq's effect on prices, and Tangier's official index rose only 0.6% in 2025, seven years after the line opened. Better access tends to show first in transaction volumes and rental demand. Any premium is likeliest within easy reach of a station, and once services actually run.

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