"The UIC has chosen the Kingdom of Morocco to host the UIC World Congress on High-Speed Rail in 2023, reflecting its position in the high-speed rail domain in Africa and the Middle East," a joint statement by Morocco's National Railways Office (ONCF) and UIC said.

The 11th edition of the Congress, to be held from 7 to 10 March 2023 at the Palais des Congrès in Marrakech, under the auspices of UIC and ONCF, will bring together all of the world's players in high-speed rail.

Adopting "High-speed rail: the right speed for our planet" as its slogan, the Congress will emphasize rail's contribution to addressing climate change and its role in territorial development.

Quoted by the statement, ONCF Director General Mohamed Rabie Khlie and UIC Director General François Davenne cordially described the event as "an optimal framework to maximize railways' added value for the community and share the latest technological advances. 

"The potential of high-speed rail solutions adapted to the growth of sustainable mobility on a global scale is far from exhausted," they said.

Three billion passengers use high-speed trains every year, and this growth is being driven by the continued expansion of the high-speed rail network and associated services.

Some 56,000 km of high-speed lines are currently in operation worldwide, and this figure will double in the next 30 years. Countries that have already embarked on this path are completing their own networks, joined by new countries and states convinced by the benefits of high-speed rail.

This poses a number of strategic, industrial, technical and financial challenges which the Congress