Morocco’s National Railways Office has signed new agreements with South Korean groups Hyundai Rotem and KORAIL as part of the country’s wider plan to expand and modernise its rail network. The partnerships support Morocco’s long-term mobility strategy and are linked to the acquisition of 110 double-decker trains designed to improve passenger transport services, especially across the Casablanca metropolitan area.
Under the agreements, Hyundai Rotem will provide rolling stock maintenance services over a 20-year period, while KORAIL will oversee quality control, production monitoring, and knowledge transfer. The Hyundai Rotem contract is valued at 748.2 billion won, or about $487 million, reflecting the scale of Morocco’s investment in rail capacity and operational reliability.
The new double-decker trains will be capable of operating at speeds of up to 160 kilometres per hour. They are expected to improve regional mobility, increase passenger capacity, and support more efficient transport across one of Morocco’s busiest urban and economic areas.
The initiative forms part of Morocco’s Vision 2040 mobility strategy, which includes around 96 billion dirhams, or approximately $10.3 billion, in planned mobility infrastructure investments. Casablanca is expected to receive nearly 20 billion dirhams of this total, underlining the city’s central role in the country’s transport modernization plans.
One of the flagship projects under the strategy is the future Casablanca South Station. The station is designed to handle up to 12 million passengers each year and is expected to become a major intermodal hub connecting high-speed rail, regional rail services, light rail, and an airport express link to Mohammed V Airport.
Morocco also plans to build two additional next-generation stations, including one in Benslimane near the Grand Stade Hassan II and another at Casablanca Airport. These projects are intended to improve connectivity between major urban centres, airports, sports infrastructure, and regional transport networks.
By 2040, Morocco aims to expand rail coverage from 23 cities to 43 cities and increase the share of the population with access to the rail network from 51% to 87%. The plan also includes connecting 12 international airports and 12 ports to the rail network, compared with one airport and six ports currently.
The new rail partnerships with Hyundai Rotem and KORAIL mark an important step in Morocco’s effort to strengthen public transport, improve regional connectivity, and support economic growth through modern mobility infrastructure. The agreements also highlight Morocco’s increasing cooperation with international partners to deliver large-scale transport projects under Vision 2040.
