Are Moroccan trains comfortable / what classes are there?

Moroccan trains are far more comfortable than their reputation among first-time visitors suggests, and on the high-speed line they're genuinely impressive. There are two broad tiers to understand. The conventional ONCF inter-city trains — the ones serving Marrakech, Fes, Meknes, Rabat, Casablanca — offer first and second class. Then there's Al Boraq, the high-speed service on the Tangier–Casablanca corridor, which is a different, sleeker generation of train altogether but also sold in first and second.

On the ordinary trains, the practical difference between classes is real. First class gives you a reserved, numbered seat — often in a traditional six-seat enclosed compartment off a corridor, or in a modern open carriage — with more space, reliable air conditioning, and a calmer atmosphere. Second class is cheaper and unreserved, meaning you sit where you can find space; on quiet services that's totally comfortable, but on a busy Friday or a holiday it can mean standing in the corridor. For a short hop I'm happy in second; for a longer journey or in peak season I almost always book first.

Al Boraq is in another league of comfort. Both classes are spacious, quiet, smooth at 320 km/h, and fully reserved, with power sockets, big windows, and a buffet car — closer to a European TGV than anything in the older fleet. Here even second class is excellent, and first is a modest step up rather than a necessity. It's one of the nicest train rides anywhere in this part of the world.

A few honest comfort notes from years of riding them: punctuality on the conventional network is usually decent but can slip, so build a little buffer around tight connections; air conditioning is the norm in first class but can be patchy in older second-class carriages in high summer; and the trains are clean and safe, with women and families travelling freely. My standing advice to travellers is simple — pay the small premium for first class on any journey over an hour or in busy periods, and just enjoy second class for short, off-peak hops.