The Rabat-Salé Tramway Company (STRS) and the European Investment Bank signed on March 7, an agreement for a EUR 400 million loan to finance the extension of Rabat-Salé tramway network.
The project envisages the construction of a 7-km tramway section on line 2 (which has a length of 19 km) and 12 stations of which 4 stations will be built in Rabat and 8 stations in Salé.
Last year, STRS awarded the EUR 29 million construction contract on line 2 extension to a consortium of Colas Rail and its Morocco-based subsidiary, GTR. The new section will link Rabat’s Yacoub El Mansour district and Salé’s new hospital to the tramway network. According to the contract, the construction works will be completed in 2019.
The loan also includes the acquisition of 11 new tramways operated in double units which will be put into operation on the future section. In October, Alstom and STRS signed a EUR 45 million contract for the supply of 22 Citadis trams to serve city’s tram network. By its decision to construct the extension, STRS ordered 22 additional trams from Alstom. Currently, 44 Citadis trams operate the network. The Citadis trams for Rabat-Salé, 32 metres long, will be coupled to enable them to transport up to 606 passengers. Low flooring throughout the trams as well as 12 side doors facilitate passenger circulation and accessibility for all, in particular mobility-impaired passengers.
The extension project will increase the attractiveness of tramway system by 35% and will reduce road traffic by approximately 10,000 cars per day. In addition, the modal shift will generate savings of around 4,500 tonnes of CO2 per year.
Rabat-Salé tramway system comprises two lines with a total length of 20 km and 31 stations. Since its commissioning, the system carried 197 million passengers, with a daily average of 110,000 passengers.
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