SNCF and ONCF sign TGV fleet maintenance agreement

Moroccan and French Railways have agreed to set up a joint company („Société Marocaine de maintenance des rames à grande vitesse”) to maintain the fleet of TGV Duplex trains being supplied by Alstom for Morocco’s first high-speed line (Tangier – Kenitra high speed rail line). The company will be set up during the first half of 2015 and will be owned 60% by ONCF and 40% by SNCF. The joint venture has been awarded a EUR 175m contract to maintain ONCF’s new high-speed train fleet for 15 years.
There is also a 15-year service contract between the joint venture and SNCF worth €90m involving repairs to spare parts, technical assistance, and transport of parts between France and Tangiers. The agreement includes training of ONCF maintenance staff by SNCF which will assign around 20 engineers to work in Morocco. Alstom is building 14 TGV Duplex trains under a €400m contract signed in December 2010. The first two trains have been completed and are being tested in France, and delivery of the fleet is expected to start in February.