Morocco Expands High-Speed Rail Network with Advanced Safety Technology

A new step towards the realization of the Kenitra-Marrakech TGV. On Friday, the National Railway Office (ONCF) launched a competitive dialogue procedure for the award of the contract relating to the design and construction of the extension of the GSM-R network for the high-speed line connecting Kenitra to Marrakech. February 2025 will mark the beginning of the installation work of the network. In a document accompanying the call for tenders, the ONCF states that the deployment of a GSM-R (Global System for Mobile Communications - Railway) communication network is part of the process of modernizing the installations intended for the safety of rail operations and aims to improve communications between the ground and the on-board with a real-time connection. It has become necessary to install the GSM-R system on the new LGVs, in particular the Kenitra-Marrakech line, as this will make it possible to meet the communication and operational safety requirements.

The ONCF has chosen a competitive dialogue for the award of this contract. The same document indicates that "the design of this communication system proves to be complex due to the nature and consistency of the installations to be realized and the need to interface with the existing installations and to ensure the integration of the new components on a GSM-R network in service". Hence the use of competitive dialogue which offers the possibility of engaging in discussions with carefully selected competitors.

The competitive dialogue procedure involves exchanges with manufacturers to verify their ability to adapt, maintain operation, guarantee the safety and availability of the existing system during the construction phase, and propose interfaces ensuring interoperability. The ONCF will specify that this design process also makes it possible to quantify and cost the required installations, define the phasing of the work, but also to establish the time required to carry out the services in accordance with the master schedule and to evaluate a long-term maintenance policy for the system.