Morocco tests Africa’s fastest high-speed rail line

Morocco has successfully tested Africa’s fastest high-speed railway, state-owned railway operator Office Nationale des Chemins de Fer (ONCF) announced on Thursday.

The latest tests were staged successfully at a speed of 320 km per hour, ONCF said in a statement, deeming the test as “historical moment for the country.”

In October, Morocco tested the rail line at a speed of 275 km per hour in the presence of French Foreign Affairs Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian, whose country is partly financing.

Since the beginning of the year, the French-made double-decker TGVs have been tested ahead of the launch of a flagship new line linking the Mediterranean city of Tangier with Morocco’s financial capital Casablanca in the summer.

ONF pointed out that the next test is expected in February on the whole line.

The over two-billion-dollar project has been in development for a decade, financed by numerous partners, including Morocco, France, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates.