The Office National des Chemins de Fer (ONCF) has awarded a consortium comprising Egis (lead), Systra and Novec a contract for project management assistance for the Kenitra – Marrakech high-speed railway.
The Franco-Moroccan consortium will assist ONCF in the construction of 430 km of new high-speed line, 130 km of quadrupling of the conventional line around Casablanca (Casablanca Hub) and new stations.
The project management assistance contract covers project management, master planning of operations, maintaining the consistency and technical optimisation of the project, as well as the overall integration of the project.
The consortium will provide ONCF with its skills in managing major rail projects, as well as its technical expertise to cover the various contracts and to assist the project owner during the testing, approval and civil engineering approval phases.
The Kenitra – Marrakech high-speed railway project is in line with the Rail Morocco 2040 Plan which includes the extension of the existing high-speed line between Tangiers and Kenitra to Marrakech, providing a high-speed rail link between the capital Rabat, Casablanca, Marrakech and Tangiers. This new railway line will enable trains to travel at 320 km/h over 430 km of new high-speed line, making Morocco’s rail network one of the most modern and efficient in the world.
The project is due to be inaugurated at the end of 2029, before the start of the World Cup.
With a view to hosting the Football World Cup in 2030, organised jointly by the Kingdom of Morocco, Spain and Portugal, Morocco is speeding up the expansion of its high-speed rail network to Marrakech and plans to modernise its conventional network of RER in Casablanca, Rabat and Marrakech by launching an unprecedented investment programme over the next 7 years. ONCF has enlisted the support of Egis, Systra and Novec to help it carry out this programme.
In November 2018, Morocco inaugurated then 323 km Tangier – Casablanca high-speed rail line, known as Al Boraq train connecting Tangiers, Kenitra, Rabat and Casablanca.
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