Morocco Train Guide: Al Boraq, ONCF Tickets, Prices and Routes (by a Local)

Ask any Moroccan how to get from Casablanca to Marrakech and most will tell you: take the train. It is cheap, it leaves on time more often than people expect, and you skip the stress of our highways. This is the guide I wish my foreign friends had before their first trip. It covers the three types of train, the main routes and how long they take, what tickets cost, how to buy them when your card gets refused, and a few things you only learn by using ONCF every week.

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The three kinds of train

Al Boraq is our high-speed train, running since 2018. It links Tangier, Kenitra, Rabat Agdal and Casa Voyageurs, with roughly one train an hour from early morning until about 10 pm. Between Tangier and Kenitra it runs at up to 320 km/h. It is a double-deck TGV with a café car, and first class gets you into a lounge at the main stations.

Al Atlas is the regular intercity train. It covers everything else: Casablanca to Marrakech, Rabat to Fes, Fes to Marrakech, Tangier to Fes and the long line east to Oujda. The trains are older but fine, and on most main routes there is one every two hours or so. First class is six-seat compartments; second class is either compartments or open coaches.

TNR trains are the shuttles around Casablanca and Rabat, including the airport train. Second class only, no reserved seats. Locals use them to commute, so they get busy at rush hour.

Main routes and journey times

These are typical times. Check the exact schedule in the app on the day, because timetables change with the seasons and during Ramadan.

• Tangier to Rabat Agdal: about 1 hour 20 minutes (Al Boraq)
• Tangier to Casa Voyageurs: about 2 hours 10 minutes (Al Boraq)
• Casablanca to Marrakech: about 2 hours 40 minutes (Al Atlas)
• Rabat to Fes: about 2 hours 40 minutes (Al Atlas)
• Tangier to Fes: about 3 hours 25 minutes with a change at Kenitra, or a little over 4 hours on the direct train
• Tangier to Marrakech: about 5 hours 15 minutes, Al Boraq to Casablanca then Al Atlas
• Fes to Marrakech: around 7 hours. It’s long but straightforward, and still easier than the bus.
• Casablanca airport to Casa Voyageurs: about 30 minutes

How much tickets cost

ONCF uses changing prices now. The same seat can cost almost double if you buy it the morning you travel. Here are realistic ranges in dirhams, checked in November 2026 against ONCF offers and recent traveller reports:

• Tangier to Casablanca, Al Boraq: about 99 to 224 MAD in second class, 129 to 292 MAD in first
• Tangier to Rabat, Al Boraq: about 89 to 172 MAD in second, 129 to 224 MAD in first
• Casablanca to Marrakech, Al Atlas: second class from about 49 MAD on the cheapest “Yalla” fares, first class from about 120 MAD
• Fes to Marrakech: roughly 200 MAD in second class
• Casablanca airport train: 50 MAD in second, 70 MAD in first

Children under 4 travel free and children aged 4 to 10 pay about half. ONCF also runs regular promotions, so look at the offers page in the app before you pay.

First class or second class?

On Al Boraq, second class is perfectly comfortable and you get a reserved seat. Save your money. On Al Atlas, first class is worth it for trips over two hours, especially Fes to Marrakech: compartments are less crowded, the air conditioning works better and there is space for luggage. Al Atlas only has one first-class car, so it sells out on busy days. On the TNR shuttles there is no choice, you just get on.

How to buy tickets

The ONCF Voyages app came out in 2025 and is what most of us use now. You choose the train, pay and get a ticket with a QR code on your phone. The website oncf-voyages.ma does the same thing and has an English version. You can book up to three months ahead.

If your foreign card is refused, and this happens a lot, don’t panic. You have three options:

• Buy at the station. Ticket windows (we call it the guichet) take cash and usually cards, and the big stations have ticket machines with English.
• Use a reseller like 12Go, which accepts foreign cards for a small fee.
• Ask your riad or hotel to buy it for you. Many do this for guests.

For normal days you can buy at the station 30 minutes before. For the days around Eid, the start of summer and school holidays, book as early as you can. That’s when the whole country travels home at once, and trains really do sell out.

Night trains

There used to be a popular sleeper from Tangier to Marrakech with four-berth couchettes. In 2026 it was reported suspended because of the works on the new high-speed line, so don’t plan around it without checking. Night trains still run on the long line between Tangier and Oujda. With Al Boraq, Tangier to Marrakech is now possible in one day anyway.

Know your stations

• Casablanca: Casa Voyageurs is the main hub for Al Boraq, Marrakech and Fes. Casa Port is in the city centre, near the medina and the port, and mostly serves Rabat and the airport. Check which one is on your ticket.
• Rabat: Al Boraq stops at Rabat Agdal. Rabat Ville is in the centre and is easier for the medina. Both have Al Atlas trains.
• Tangier: Tanger Ville station is new and far from the medina. A petit taxi takes about 10 minutes.
• Marrakech: the station is in Guéliz, about 10 to 15 minutes from Jemaa el-Fna by taxi.
• Fes: the station is in the Ville Nouvelle. Take a petit taxi to Bab Boujloud for the medina.

Where the train doesn’t go

For Chefchaouen, Essaouira, Agadir and the south you need a bus. Supratours, ONCF’s bus company, leaves from right outside several stations. You can go from Marrakech station to Essaouira or Agadir, and from Tangier or Fes to Chefchaouen. CTM is the other big reliable company. For the desert, most people go on a tour or drive. Read our guide to travelling between cities in Morocco.

Getting from the Casablanca airport by train

The station is under Terminal 1 at Mohammed V Airport. Trains run roughly every hour from early morning until late evening and stop at Casa Voyageurs and Casa Port. If you land after the last train, or with a family and big bags, a fixed-price transfer is easier. Book one with Kiwitaxi or Welcome Pickups so someone is waiting with your name. Going on to Marrakech? Change at Casa Voyageurs.

Do it like a Moroccan: local tips

• Keep your QR code ready. Inspectors check tickets on board, and some stations check them at the platform entrance.
• Get to Casa Voyageurs early. It’s big and busy, and the platform signs can be confusing the first time.
• Bring water and snacks on Al Atlas. There is sometimes a trolley, sometimes not.
• Don’t wait on the platform if your train is late. Delays on Al Atlas happen. Check the screens, and the app shows live updates.
• At the taxi rank, ask for the meter. Say “compteur, 3afak”. If the driver refuses, take the next taxi, or use an app. Read our guide to ride-hailing in Morocco.
• Stay connected for your e-ticket. A Morocco eSIM from Airalo means your QR code works even if the station Wi-Fi doesn’t.

What’s coming next

The high-speed line is being extended from Kenitra to Marrakech, with Casablanca on the new track too. ONCF expects it to open around 2029 to 2030, before the World Cup. When it does, Tangier to Marrakech should take about 2 hours 40 minutes. Until then, the change at Casablanca is part of the trip.

Planning where to sleep near the station? See where to stay in Casablanca, where to stay in Marrakech and where to stay in Fes, or build your route with the free Moroccanly trip planner.

Cover photo: Marrakech railway station by Linda Gerbec on Unsplash