Yesterday we took the train to Casablanca for the day. The city has two train stations, and we went into Casa Voyageurs, and returned from Casa Port. Casa Port is the first of the train stations we've seen in Morocco (Rabat Agdal, Rabat Ville, Tangiers, and Casa Voyageurs) that is not a construction zone), and has been fully renovated recently. The waiting area at Casa Port is now full of mall shops, including the ubiquitous McDonalds, and it's clear from what you can see at the others that they will share the same style.
I tracked our progress on my phone, and logged the positions.
Our progress to Casablanca (top track, SW corner of map) and back to Rabat (bottom track). The top speed of 160 km/hr is 100 miles/hour.
The train trip down made fewer stops (shown by the speed drastically slowing for the stations), and took 5-10 minutes less than the return trip. The return trip made three more stops. Both trips had a stop in the Casablanca suburbs, which does not show up as clearly as the others on the map because the train cannot attain its full speed until it reaches open country side well outside the cities.
You can also see the bend the train travels to get to Mohammedia, which will be bypassed by the TVG (fast trains) whose route is under construction to go with the refurbished stations. The new route, visible from the train now, straightens the route.
Rick's Cafe on the corner of the Casablanca medina. They were not open mid-afternoon, so all we got was this picture..
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