French Consortium Wins Moroccan High-Speed Rail Contract, Outbidding Spanish Rival

The strategic contract for project management assistance for the ONCF for the extension of the High Speed Line to Marrakech was rather awarded to the Egis-Systra-Novec consortium, reports Africa Intelligence. Paradoxically, this consortium led by the French Egis Rail won this contract by offering 1.385 billion dirhams against Ineco (1.309 billion dirhams), or nearly 80 million dirhams more. Egis-Systra-Novec’s mission will be to advise the client, the ONCF, on the infrastructure projects of the HSL between Kénitra and Marrakech, for a contract estimated at 1.4 billion dirhams.

Last February, the National Office of Moroccan Railways (ONCF) had launched a call for tenders for this strategic assistance contract for the extension of the high-speed line to Marrakech. The French company Egis Rail, the Spanish company Ineco and Dar Al Handasha were in the running. But Dar Al Handasha will subsequently be excluded during the examination of its administrative file.

In 2022, Egis Rail/France-Maroc was entrusted with the external control services for the preliminary draft (APS), detailed draft (APD-PRO) and project studies of infrastructure, civil engineering, engineering structures and earthworks necessary for the increase in rail capacity between Kénitra and Marrakech as well as at the Casablanca hub.