Morocco Plans $800 Million Rail Link to Connect Tetouan to National Network

In response to a written question, Mohamed Abdeljalil said that the National Railway Office (ONCF) has launched a tender for the realization of preliminary studies on the connection of the city of Tetouan to the national rail network. He specified that around 8 billion dirhams must be mobilized for the implementation of the project. He then relies on cooperation between all stakeholders to find appropriate solutions for its financing, in particular through a partnership with the Office and the regional councils concerned. This project will not only facilitate the mobility of the city’s inhabitants, but it will also boost the development of the entire region, promote tourism and create jobs. For the moment, the ONCF ensures the connection of the city of Tetouan with the rail network through a fleet of "Supratours" buses belonging to the Office, which allow regular trips between Tangier and Tetouan throughout the day, in synchronization with the journeys of the Al Boraq and Al Atlas trains to the different regions of the Kingdom, he further specified.

Regarding the development and expansion of the rail network at the national level, Abdeljalil said that the ONCF has developed a medium and long-term plan aimed at covering the entire national territory. Based on two key concepts: defining needs through customer-centric service planning, and creating regional interchange hubs, this plan provides for the creation of 1,300 km of new high-speed lines and 3,800 km of new conventional rail lines to connect 43 Moroccan cities (instead of 23 currently) and provide rail transport for 87% of the national population (instead of 51% currently). Other planned actions: the creation of 10 regional interchange hubs to organize and improve integration and coordination between different modes of transport. Not to mention the implementation of projects to connect 14 ports and 12 airports to the rail network, in line with the national strategy to support port, industrial and logistics development.