Doha-Morocco is said to charge its high-speed rail ambitions. Alstom, a global giant in Mobility Solutions, has concluded a contract for the delivery of Avelia Horizon trains of the next generation to the national railway operator of the state, oncf.
Confirms the contract of € 781 million in an official press release today Is financed Only through a French Ministry of Finance to the Moroccan government and was recorded in Alstoms Q4 2024/2025 in the financial year.
The deal follows financial cooperation agreement In the railway sector that France and Morocco signed in the country during the visit of President Emmanuel Macron in October 2024.
The new double-decker trains with speeds of more than 300 km/h will be operated on the extended high-speed line with tangers with Marrakech and build on the existing Tanger Casablanca route.
Read too: Spain is looking for a Moroccan school contract with a loan of € 750 million
Each train will accommodate 640 passengers and serves for delivery by 2030 and falls with the co-moderator of the FIFA World Cup in Morocco.
“The expansion of the high-speed limit to Marrakech will improve connectivity for travelers. Alstom’s new double-decker-vevelia horizon trains will significantly shorten the travel time between Tangier and Marrakech and at the same time minimize the CO2 footprint” specified in the announcement.
“This financing of an extraordinary amount proves the remarkable French-Moroccan partnership in Railways, which has already led to the immense success of the high-speed border between Tanger and Kenitra, which transported almost 5 million passengers in 2024,” said the French ambassador in Morocco, Christophe Lecourtier, said in a statement.
The selection of Alstom’s offer was influenced by the double-deck design of the Avelia Horizon, which gives it an advantage over the one-step models proposed by the competitors CAF, TALGO and Hyundai.
Alstom’s centuries of presence in Morocco, including two production facilities with 1,200 employees, played a crucial role in securing the contract. The company previously supplied the country with trains, locomotives, signal systems and 240 tram for Rabat and Casablanca.
The most recent order builds on France’s earlier investments in Morocco InfrastructureThis included a financing of 51% for the country’s first high-speed line in 2018, a project worth € 2 billion.
The Avelia Horizon trains have innovative shorter motor vehicles that combine high performance and compactness as well as articulated two-stage passenger cars.
The design includes less bogie, which usually make up 30% of the maintenance costs and contribute to reduced operating costs and at the same time maintain exceptional service levels.
