Infrastructure development continues its relentless ascent worldwide, embracing ever more advanced systems, from green energy grids to next-generation transport corridors. Amid this transformation, high-speed rail represents a bold statement of modernity. Across continents, governments are racing to lay tracks that promise rapid connectivity, economic stimulation and reduced carbon footprints. Africa, dreaming of its own bullet train revolution, stands on the threshold of a new era. Whether the continent’s aspirations are realised or remain premature depends on politics, economic capacity, demand and strategic framing.
Globally, Morocco already leads in Africa with the Al Boraq high-speed line, inaugurated in 2018. This 186 km line linking Tangier and Kenitra operates at up to 320 km/h. In April 2025, King Mohammed VI approved a US$10.3 billion (MAD 96 billion) rail expansion, including a 430 km line from Kenitra to Marrakech designed for up to 350 km/h. The project will reduce travel between Tangier and Marrakech to just two hours and forty minutes, and will eventually connect 43 cities, reaching 87% of the population.
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Egypt is taking strides of its own. A Siemens-led consortium was awarded a US$4.5 billion contract in 2021 to build a 660 km “Green Line” from Ain Sokhna to Marsa Matruh and Alexandria. Due by 2027, the network will eventually stretch over 2,000 km, serve 60 cities, and reach 90% of the population. The project is expected to reduce carbon emissions by 70% and accommodate 30 million passengers annually.
Kenya and the East African bloc remain in planning and early execution phases. Kenya’s Standard Gauge Railway (SGR), which cost US$5.2 billion, was intended to stretch into Uganda, DR Congo and beyond. The East African Railway Master Plan features additional costly corridors, such as the Naivasha–Kisumu leg estimated at US$3.8 billion and Uganda’s broader 1,724 km SGR network projected at US$12.8 billion.
South Africa: Between Steel Rails and Steep Realities
The Gauteng provincial government has already committed R120 billion over the next five years to expand its rail network, which includes South Africa’s first proposed bullet train as well as six new Gautrain network extensions. Additionally, authorities have expressed hopes that the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (PRASA) will scale up operations to reach 600 million commuter journeys annually by 2030, a monumental leap from the current situation.
However, ambitions are clashing with stark financial realities. The projected cost of South Africa’s first bullet train line is currently pegged at a staggering R530 billion, prompting justifiable concerns about the long-term economic feasibility of the project. This is especially troubling in light of South Africa’s deteriorating passenger rail infrastructure.
Despite President Cyril Ramaphosa’s impassioned call for citizens to “start imagining a high-speed rail network”, the country’s existing rail lines have become almost unusable for passenger traffic and are severely constrained for freight and heavy haul services.
Although the government initially proposed to fully fund the project, discussions around potential Chinese investment have surfaced. Given China’s reputation for high-speed rail engineering, with some trains reaching speeds of up to 600 km/h, the possibility of technological partnership remains open. If actualised, the journey between Johannesburg and Durban could be completed in under one hour, although no formal agreements have yet been signed.
Are African Economies Ready?
At face value, these figures speak of ambition: billions committed, continental master plans conceived, and global partnerships forged. But beneath the glitter lie difficult questions about economic sustainability and strategic planning.
Kenya’s SGR faced public scrutiny over unclear procurement and debt arrangements with China. Similarly, Egypt’s reliance on international consortia and Morocco’s state-led expansion underscore a continent heavily dependent on foreign financing. The operational and maintenance demands of bullet trains, particularly in terms of high-tech parts, signalling systems, and energy consumption add another layer of long-term cost.
Morocco’s Calculated Momentum
Morocco’s Al Boraq train is not just a transport project, it is a model of long-term planning. Opened in 2018 after over a decade of preparation, the line was developed in partnership with France’s SNCF and financed partly by loans from the French Development Agency and the European Investment Bank. By 2040, the government aims to purchase 168 new trains and achieve comprehensive national connectivity. This staggered but focused approach offers other African nations a blueprint for success.
Egypt’s Suez-Canal-on-Rails Vision
Egypt’s “Green Line” will stretch from the Red Sea to the Mediterranean and support both freight and passenger traffic. With Siemens Mobility and local contractors like Orascom and Elsewedy Electric engaged, the project is expected to support regional integration and port logistics. However, similar to Morocco, Egypt’s success hinges on stable governance, institutional strength, and the capacity to manage long-term operating costs without foreign over-dependence.
Continent-Wide Outlook
The African Union’s “Africa Integrated High-Speed Railway Network (AIHSRN)” aims to build 12,000 km of high-speed rail by 2063. Yet, aside from Morocco and Egypt, most member states are either stuck in the feasibility phase or locked in funding negotiations. The envisioned 55,000 km pan-African rail grid would connect 54 capitals and economic zones, but few lines have broken ground.
South Africa’s Johannesburg–Durban route, approved for feasibility studies in late 2023, could become a flagship. However, with an estimated cost of R530 billion for one route alone and absent a national funding framework, realisation may remain distant without international partnerships and restructured national priorities.
The Balance of Dream and Duty
High-speed rail is not just an emblem of technological progress; it is a long-term social, economic and political undertaking. If constructed without solid economic foundations and realistic commuter demand, these projects risk becoming white elephants—gleaming in the media but hollow in utility. Conversely, when aligned with urban planning, logistics needs, and economic corridors, as seen in parts of North Africa, they can reshape how people and goods move across the continent.
The Next Station Is Not Just Speed
Africa’s high-speed rail ambition reflects a broader desire to leapfrog into the future. Yet, while the dream may be on the horizon, the path requires more than vision, it demands accountability, fiscal realism, and institutional readiness. For Morocco and Egypt, the journey has begun with measurable progress. South Africa, despite its advanced economy, must resolve political will, secure funding, and rebuild public trust in its rail network before it can truly step aboard the bullet train age.
In a continent where infrastructure gaps still define daily struggles, the bullet train is both a symbol of hope and a mirror of complexity. Whether it proves to be too fast, too soon, or the right speed at the right time, remains to be seen. But one thing is certain: without clear rails of planning and funding, Africa’s bullet train dreams may stall before departure.
