Casablanca Mohammed V Airport upgrades: what travellers should expect

Morocco’s national rail operator has launched a major Mohammed V Airport rail project and road upgrade worth 180 million dirhams around Casablanca’s main airport, with seven months of intense works planned while operations continue.

A major project around Morocco’s main gateway

The project aims to strengthen rail connections and improve road access to Mohammed V International Airport in Nouaceur province. This airport is the primary gateway for Moroccans living abroad returning home for holidays, family events or summer breaks.

The contract covers engineering studies and civil works for several structures in the immediate vicinity of the airport. The goal is twofold: prepare the future high-speed rail line and ease road traffic towards the terminals.

Mohammed V Airport rail project: bridges and hydraulic works

The Mohammed V Airport rail project includes the construction of two rail bridges over provincial road 3038, the main axis leading to the airport:

• one bridge for a future high-speed rail line;
• a second bridge for the existing conventional line, whose route will be shifted, with the current bridge demolished.

Seven hydraulic structures are also planned along the conventional rail platform, including one crossing over the Bouskoura wadi. This requires delicate operations on a technically complex site.

The overall estimated cost stands at 180 million dirhams before tax. Companies bidding for the contract must provide a 2.7 million dirhams provisional guarantee, which effectively limits the tender to firms with solid technical and financial capacity.

Road access kept open but likely slowdowns

The works directly affect provincial road 3038, the key road access to Mohammed V Airport from Casablanca. The project includes widening this road, creating a roundabout and new access lanes to the airport area.

Authorities, however, require that traffic be maintained on this axis throughout the construction period. The road will not be closed, but drivers should expect:

• local detours;
• lane narrowing and work zones;
• temporary speed limits.

The electrified conventional rail lines serving the airport are also expected to remain in operation. Work phasing is designed to avoid service interruptions on existing trains.

What Moroccans abroad should plan for

The project is scheduled over seven months, including one month of site preparation before full-scale construction starts. During that time, passengers arriving in or departing from Casablanca should factor in some uncertainty in their journey to and from the airport.

For Moroccans abroad, a few simple precautions can help:

• allow extra time to reach the airport by car or taxi, especially at peak times;
• monitor practical updates on airport rail services;
• when booking flights, pay attention to departure and arrival times more exposed to traffic jams.

If official instructions from the rail operator and local authorities are followed, disruptions should remain manageable. In the medium term, this Mohammed V Airport rail project and road upgrade is expected to make journeys smoother and better suited to growing passenger flows, particularly during major return periods.

Before each trip, travellers are advised to consult the latest information from transport operators, including the national airline and rail services, to adjust routes and schedules if needed.

For more context, readers can follow Canal212 news for Moroccans abroad.

For official updates, readers can check the relevant official source.