Morocco’s World Cup Rail Project Sparks International Competition

Moroccan railway projects will be at the heart of the rivalry between Spain, France and China. Each country is seeking to win the major contracts. One of these contracts is the construction of a high-speed rail line. Recently, the National Railway Office (ONCF) has launched a tender that runs until June 23, 2024, for the construction of a 375-kilometer line, extending from Kenitra to Marrakech, through 7 lots ranging from 36 kilometers to 64 kilometers, in the urban areas of Rabat-Salé and Casablanca and Marrakech. This is one of the projects for which Morocco has allocated investments worth 37 billion dirhams.

The tender also covers the design and construction of the railway line to accommodate trains running at speeds of up to 350 kilometers per hour, as well as stations, signals, communications, and a maintenance center in Marrakech. To recall, the ONCF’s strategy extending until 2040 generally aims to connect 43 cities by a train network, and to increase the percentage of train users among the total population, to 87% instead of 50% currently.