French President Emmanuel Macron arrived in Morocco on Thursday to take part in the inauguration of a high-speed railway line that boasts the fastest journey times in Africa or the Arab world.
The French leader, who was invited by King Mohammed VI, will attend a grand ceremony at Tangiers’ newly renovated train station, with heavy security measures put in place.
Macron will travel with the monarch on the high-speed train from Tangiers, a major port linking Africa and Europe, to the capital Rabat.
The service between Tangiers and Casablanca, via the capital, will slash journey times between the North African country’s economic hubs to just over two hours from nearly five.
Trains will zoom along the newly laid tracks at up to 320 kilometres per hour (200 miles per hour) — faster than the speeds of up to 300 kph boasted by the new line opened by Saudi authorities last month linking Islam’s holiest cities Mecca and Medina via the Red Sea port of Jeddah.