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Morocco has awarded civil works contracts for the construction of Kenitra-Marrakech high-speed line to local and Chinese companies, local Arabic language online news portal Akhbarona said.
The project involves 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.
According to the report, local contractor TGCC (Travaux Généraux de Construction de Casablanca) was awarded a 2.8 billion Moroccan dirhams ($205.4 million) contract to execute the civil works for Phase 4 extending 51 kilometres (km) from Berrechid to Settat. China's Shandong Hi-Speed Group Co was awarded a civil works contract worth MAD4 billion ($410 million) for Phase 2 extending 64km from Rabat Agdal to Zenata while China Railway Number 4 Engineering Group (CREC 4) was awarded a MAD3.4 billion ($348.9 million) contract for Phase 1, which extends 63km from Sidi Ishou to Rabat.
In August 2024, the Office National des Chemins de Fer (ONCF) had awarded the project management assistance contract for the line to a Franco-Moroccan consortium comprising Egis (lead), SYSTRA and Novec. The consortium will assist ONCF in the construction of 430km of the high-speed line, and quadrupling the conventional line around Casablanca (Casablanca Hub) and new stations extending 130km, according to a SYSTRA press statement.
As joint host of the 2030 Football World Cup with Spain and Portugal, Morocco is speeding up the implementation of its high-speed rail network to Marrakech and modernising its conventional network (RER in Casablanca, Rabat and Marrakech) under a seven-year investment programme.
(Writing by Majda Muhsen; Editing by Anoop Menon)
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