RABAT, July 12 (Xinhua) -- Morocco will launch the first high-speed train in Africa before the end of 2018, the national rail operator ONCF announced on Thursday.

ONCF said in a statement that the technical commissioning of this flagship project, which includes a high-speed rail line linking the Mediterranean city of Tangier with Morocco's financial capital Casablanca, was achieved in June.

According to ONCF, this train is a "bearer of modernity, progress and innovation" and "the image of our country, resolutely turned towards building a better future".

ONCF will launch on Monday a competition for designing the logo of the high-speed train by anyone "desiring to make his/her mark on a project made by and for Moroccans."

The new train, which exceeded a speed of 220 miles (352 km) per hour in the tests, will reduce the journey time between Tangier and Casablanca from five hours to about two hours.

The 2-billion-dollar project has been in development for a decade, financed by numerous partners, including Morocco, France, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and the United Arab Emirates.