The International Union of Railways has selected Morocco to host the 11th World Congress on High Speed Rail in 2023, reflecting the country’s leading position in the high speed rail sector in Africa and the Middle East.

The event’s slogan will be ‘high speed rail: the right speed for our planet’, with the congress emphasising rail’s contribution to addressing climate change and its role in socio-economic development.

More than 1 500 attendees are expected at the Palais des Congrès in Marrakech from March 7 to 10 2023, including political decision-makers, transport authorities, train operators, infrastructure managers, suppliers, financial institutions and research organisations.

UIC said three billion passengers use high speed trains every year, with the 56 000 km of high speed line currently in operation predicted to double in the next 30 years.