AfDB Approves €205 Million for Morocco High-Speed Rail Extension to Marrakech
The African Development Bank approved a €205 million loan to Morocco on July 8, 2026, to finance the high-speed rail extension and conventional upgrades on the Kenitra-Marrakech corridor.
On July 8, the African Development Bank approved a €205 million loan to Morocco to finance the Railway Infrastructure Development Support Project (PADIF), which will extend the country’s high-speed rail network and upgrade existing rail infrastructure on the Kenitra-Marrakech corridor.
The corridor already carries a significant share of the country’s passenger and freight traffic, making it a critical artery for both intercity mobility and freight movement.
Under the project, the AfDB financing will go toward high-speed rail extension and conventional rail infrastructure upgrades, targeting the same corridor to boost capacity and speed.
The project sits inside a larger push to modernize Morocco’s rail infrastructure, and the AfDB’s backing signals confidence in the corridor’s economic weight. The Kenitra-Marrakech line already carries a substantial portion of national rail traffic, and adding high-speed capacity would likely shift travel patterns and freight logistics.
The tendering and construction timeline will unfold over the coming years, but the financing agreement locks in a key piece of the puzzle at a time when many large infrastructure projects are still navigating uncertain funding environments.