It is not often a historic Moroccan destination gets to revitalize its surroundings, but after Casablanca- and Paris-based OUALALOU+ CHOI architecture and urban design firm won a competition to redesign a 1923 train station in Casablanca, the firm began the design work on a new and modern Casa Sud train station and its esplanade.

© Courtesy of Oualalouchoi

The new station is part of a series of investments to facilitate the creation of a dense suburban rail operation in Casablanca, which Morocco’s King Mohammed VI launched last fall, and includes the modernization of Casablanca’s Casa Sud station. No less than 161 track miles of new railway will be built, with five maintenance and stabling facilities created and larger depots to be built in Zenata and Nouaceur. The major hub at Casa Sud aims to provide interchanges between Al Boraq high-speed trains, as well as regional and suburban services.

The new Casa Sud station will have a capacity of 12 million passengers a year and feature six platforms serving 10 tracks, with 700 parking spaces for automobiles.

© Courtesy of Oualalouchoi

Conceived as both an urban landmark and a strategic urban center, the new Casa Sud train station will stand as a contemporary monument at the heart of Casablanca. More than just a transport hub, the new train station will be a space for showing residents and visitors the ambition of Morocco’s wealthiest city, a financial center home to most of Morocco’s largest corporations and now enjoying rapid growth.

Located at the intersection of key urban streets, the new station will act as a critical connection between the historic inner-city and its modern extensions. By bridging over the existing rail lines, the new Gare Casa Sud will reconnect existing neighborhoods and stitch the city’s urban fabric back together after many years of decline. The train station will also form the backbone of a new urban development project to include residential and commercial zones.

The new station will be defined by a huge vaulted roof encompassing all the uses of the station and bringing them together in a functional way. This immense space not only protects the station but will also open it up to all sides of the city.

© Courtesy of Oualalouchoi

At the foot of the station, a large urban park will be created, a much-needed garden in a city lacking green spaces. A 360-degree view from the top of the station’s roof will offer an unprecedented view, making the station a destination in itself.

Gare Casa Sud will be much more than a railway hub, but a new city monument, a unifying public space that will quickly become one of Casablanca’s most iconic landmarks. The new station is expected to be completed in 2029, before the start of the 2030 FIFA World Cup, which will have venues in Morocco.