Morocco Invests Billions in Railway Modernization and Expansion

In this context, the Atlas trains that directly connect the eastern region to other cities in the kingdom have been strengthened, the ministry recalled in its response to a question on train breakdowns in the House of Representatives.

The ONCF has also rehabilitated the Fez-Oujda railway line. At a cost of around 1 billion dirhams, these works planned in its 2010-2018 investment plan concerned the renewal of more than 100 kilometers of track, the rehabilitation of tunnels over a length of 5 kilometers, the reinforcement and support of engineering structures, the construction of new stations in Oujda, Taourirt and Beni Oukil, and the creation of fiber optic lines along the railway line.

As for the project to electrify the line between the city of Fez and the provinces of the eastern region, its high cost did not allow it to be included in the previous investment plan, the department led by Mohamed Abdeljalil explained, specifying that the studies are being updated thanks to financing from the European Investment Bank with a view to integrating the project into the next plans.

The Ministry of Transport and Logistics also announced the acquisition of 168 new trains, including 18 high-speed trains, in order to meet the needs of rail links and develop the Fez-Meknes line. Forty new trains will serve this line, and 70 others will be deployed on other lines, including the Fez-Oujda line, to improve the quality of rail transport in the kingdom.