When you picture a holiday in Morocco some things immediately come to mind – haggling in the medina, camel rides in the desert and tucking into a tagine.
One thing that might not occur to many people is the chance to ride Africa’s first (and very affordable) high-speed railway, but it was on my list of things to do from the second I booked my flights.
The 201-mile line between Casablanca and Tangier opened in 2018, and plans are underway to expand the network across Morocco. It is Named Al-Boraq, after a flying horse creature from Islamic tradition.
For now, however, it just runs between the two cities, and I arrived early at Casablanca’s modern Voyageurs Station to maximise my experience.
I’d booked a first-class ticket about three weeks in advance on the Moroccan railway company ONCF’s official website. A non-refundable first-class ticket costs 199 dirhams (around £15.57). I try to avoid even looking at the eye-watering first-class fares when buying a ticket from Stoke-on-Trent to Manchester, much less considering buying one, so I thought it was worth treating myself.
As one of the perks of the Al-Boraq service, passengers with first-class tickets have access to the Al-Boraq lounges at both Casablanca and Tangiers stations, so I handed my phone to the attendant to scan my QR code.
Inside was a fairly comfortable lounge with plenty of chairs, desks, and plug sockets for charging phones and other devices. There was also a free coffee machine and a large fridge filled with complimentary bottles of water, which never go amiss when you’re travelling somewhere as hot as Morocco.
After around 30 minutes of sipping coffee and using the free Wi-Fi (a feature at every station in Morocco, as far as I could tell), we were called to the train.
The carriages were all of the double-decker type that you see in European countries like the Netherlands, and I took my reserved seat.
Unlike other first-class carriages on trains in Morocco—I used a few during my trip—the carriage was laid out in an open plan rather than in compartments, with some of the seats being doubles and some being singles.
My seat was one of the solo seats, and it included a tray table, comfortable armrest (it’s the little things in life), and a plug socket.
It was far more comfortable than some trains I have ridden on in the UK.
The windows also featured heavy blinds that you could see through and open if you wanted, but which also kept the sun off. Like the free water in the lounge,, this was welcome in the climate.
The train departed on time, and soon, we were out of the sprawling Casablanca suburbs and into the countryside.
The Al-Boraq can reach up to 199mph as it speeds between the two cities – reducing the journey time from the previous four hours and 45 minutes to just two hours and 10 minutes.
The service stops at just two destinations along the way, Rabat, the Moroccan capital, and Kenitra, further adding to its speed, you can sit back and relax and watch the world go by.
It was incredibly comfortable, and I drifted off in my seat, something I rarely manage on trains. After we left Kenitra, I woke up shortly before we got to Tangier, just after 12 p.m.
All in all, I thought this was great value for money and well worth it if you enjoy a comfortable train ride. The Moroccan government hopes to expand its high-speed network across the country, and I hope to go back to try those lines when they open.
