Tangier 11, 1945. In July 1952 the protecting powers met at Rabat to discuss the Zone's future, agreeing to abolish it. Tangier joined with the rest of Morocco following the restoration of full sovereignty in 1956. At the time of the handover, Tangier had a population of around 40,000 Muslims; 31,000 Christians; and 15,000 Jews. Still basking in the Zone's countercultural glow and close by the kif-producing Rif Mountains, Tangier formed part of the hippie trail of the 1960s and '70s. It became less popular and tourist attractions grew run down as cheap flights made central Moroccan cities like Marrakesh more
Casablanca–Tangier high-speed rail line the test program an African rail speed record of was set.<ref name="rg 7/18"></ref> In October 2017, track construction was completed, followed by the new electric catenary in November. The electrical system was energised for the first time in January 2018, and the line's control facility came online in February. By mid-2018, construction of stations had been completed, though the estimated beginning of service had been pushed back until the end of the year as trial runs over the route had yet to be operated. On 15 November 2018, the service was inaugurated in a ceremony at Tangier and a special