Recent from talks
Al Boraq
Knowledge base stats:
Talk channels stats:
Members stats:
Al Boraq
Al Boraq (Arabic: البُراق, romanized: al-burāq) is a 323-kilometre (201 mi) high-speed rail service between Casablanca and Tangier in Morocco. The first of its kind on the African continent, it opened on 15 November 2018 after a decade of planning and construction by ONCF, Morocco's national railway company.
On the 186 km (116 mi) section from Tangier to Kenitra, trains run on a dedicated high-speed line and travels up to 320 km/h (199 mph). For the final 137 km (85 mi), trains run on an upgraded mainline from Kenitra through Rabat and Morocco’s most populous corridor to Casablanca.
It is the first phase of the country's planned 1,500-kilometre (900 mi) high-speed rail network.
King Mohammed VI of Morocco named the service Al Boraq (البُراق) after the creature in Islamic tradition believed to have transported some prophets, including the Islamic prophet Muhammad from Mecca to Jerusalem during the night journey.
Early studies into the feasibility of high-speed rail in Morocco began in 2003, and by 2006 the route between Tangier and Kenitra had been identified as being among the first lines to be constructed. In 2007, preliminary agreements to manage the project were signed, and ONCF announced plans to purchase 18 Alstom trainsets. In 2008, ONCF said that it planned to begin construction that year, with operations to begin in 2013.
Financing was not finalised until February 2010, when ONCF signed agreements worth 20 billion dirhams (DH). Direct investments came from the Moroccan government, which allocated DH4.8 billion to the project, and European sources, which invested a total of DH1.9 billion, while the remaining DH12.3 billion came from commercial loans. DH10 billion were to be spent on infrastructure, with DH5.6 billion going to supporting equipment and DH4.4 billion to rolling stock. At the time, work was expected to start in mid-2010, with service beginning in December 2015. In December 2010, ONCF signed a final agreement to purchase 14 Alstom Euroduplex trainsets. Following further delays, construction of the line began on 29 September 2011, when a groundbreaking ceremony took place in Tangier.
On 25 September 2012, work began on a project to increase capacity on the trackage between Kenitra and Casablanca by constructing a dedicated freight track in the existing right of way, allowing for passenger trains to access Casablanca from the high-speed line to Tangier. In addition to the rail construction, stations in four locations (Tangiers, Kenitra, Rabat/Agdal, and Casablanca) were either constructed from the ground up or rebuilt from existing facilities. On 19 June 2015, rolling stock deliveries began with the arrival of the first trainset in Tangier. In September, the service facility for the trains in Tangier was completed and a joint venture between ONCF and French rail operator SNCF was established to maintain the trains for a 15-year contract. In February 2017, testing of the trains at revenue speeds began; during the test program, an African rail speed record of 357 kilometres per hour (222 mph) was set.
In October 2017, track construction was completed, followed by installation of the new electric catenary that November. The electrical system was energised for the first time in January 2018, and the line's control facility came online the following month. By mid-2018, the stations had been completed, though the expected entry into service was pushed back to the end of the year, as trial runs over the route had yet to be operated.
Hub AI
Al Boraq AI simulator
(@Al Boraq_simulator)
Al Boraq
Al Boraq (Arabic: البُراق, romanized: al-burāq) is a 323-kilometre (201 mi) high-speed rail service between Casablanca and Tangier in Morocco. The first of its kind on the African continent, it opened on 15 November 2018 after a decade of planning and construction by ONCF, Morocco's national railway company.
On the 186 km (116 mi) section from Tangier to Kenitra, trains run on a dedicated high-speed line and travels up to 320 km/h (199 mph). For the final 137 km (85 mi), trains run on an upgraded mainline from Kenitra through Rabat and Morocco’s most populous corridor to Casablanca.
It is the first phase of the country's planned 1,500-kilometre (900 mi) high-speed rail network.
King Mohammed VI of Morocco named the service Al Boraq (البُراق) after the creature in Islamic tradition believed to have transported some prophets, including the Islamic prophet Muhammad from Mecca to Jerusalem during the night journey.
Early studies into the feasibility of high-speed rail in Morocco began in 2003, and by 2006 the route between Tangier and Kenitra had been identified as being among the first lines to be constructed. In 2007, preliminary agreements to manage the project were signed, and ONCF announced plans to purchase 18 Alstom trainsets. In 2008, ONCF said that it planned to begin construction that year, with operations to begin in 2013.
Financing was not finalised until February 2010, when ONCF signed agreements worth 20 billion dirhams (DH). Direct investments came from the Moroccan government, which allocated DH4.8 billion to the project, and European sources, which invested a total of DH1.9 billion, while the remaining DH12.3 billion came from commercial loans. DH10 billion were to be spent on infrastructure, with DH5.6 billion going to supporting equipment and DH4.4 billion to rolling stock. At the time, work was expected to start in mid-2010, with service beginning in December 2015. In December 2010, ONCF signed a final agreement to purchase 14 Alstom Euroduplex trainsets. Following further delays, construction of the line began on 29 September 2011, when a groundbreaking ceremony took place in Tangier.
On 25 September 2012, work began on a project to increase capacity on the trackage between Kenitra and Casablanca by constructing a dedicated freight track in the existing right of way, allowing for passenger trains to access Casablanca from the high-speed line to Tangier. In addition to the rail construction, stations in four locations (Tangiers, Kenitra, Rabat/Agdal, and Casablanca) were either constructed from the ground up or rebuilt from existing facilities. On 19 June 2015, rolling stock deliveries began with the arrival of the first trainset in Tangier. In September, the service facility for the trains in Tangier was completed and a joint venture between ONCF and French rail operator SNCF was established to maintain the trains for a 15-year contract. In February 2017, testing of the trains at revenue speeds began; during the test program, an African rail speed record of 357 kilometres per hour (222 mph) was set.
In October 2017, track construction was completed, followed by installation of the new electric catenary that November. The electrical system was energised for the first time in January 2018, and the line's control facility came online the following month. By mid-2018, the stations had been completed, though the expected entry into service was pushed back to the end of the year, as trial runs over the route had yet to be operated.
Recent media