Morocco Launches $1.5 Billion Rail Expansion, Including High-Speed Trains

The National Railway Office (ONCF), as part of the implementation of its strategic plan to strengthen its fleet, has just launched a call for tenders for the acquisition of 168 trains, including 18 high-speed trains (TGV), for an amount of 1.5 billion euros, reports the Saudi magazine Arab News, in French version.

This acquisition aims not only to renew part of the fleet that has become dilapidated, but also to extend the TGV network to Marrakech and to guarantee commuter rail services, RER-type, in the Casablanca and Rabat regions, the magazine informs, recalling that the ONCF had launched in September 2022 an international Call for Expressions of Interest (CEI) for this acquisition.

Most of the renowned manufacturers have shown interest in this CEI. According to the Saudi magazine, the French equipment manufacturer Alstom is the favorite to win this contract, "insofar as it is one of the major suppliers of rolling stock in Morocco and that it presents a better offer than its competitors in the context of the establishment of an industrial ecosystem in Morocco with, as a result, a significant local integration rate".

The French group has positioned itself on this market through its Spanish subsidiary, which has already won several contracts in Morocco, particularly those concerning the tramways of Casablanca and Rabat. An alliance between Alstom and Talgo, a Spanish competitor, is being considered for this market, the media believes, highlighting the geographical proximity of Spain to Morocco and the resumption of relations between the two countries.