Doha-and-French President Emmanuel Macron welcomed the start of construction work in Morockech for the Kénitra Markeech-Highwindness railway line (LGV), a large infrastructure project that was opened on Thursday at Rabat -hergal-Bahnhof on Thursday.
“Franco-Moroccan cooperation increases at high speed! His majesty king Mohammed VI yesterday started working through the new high-speed track between Kénitra and Marrakech”, Macron ” wrote Today on the social media platform X.
“This is the concrete result of partnerships between our companies during my state visit in Morocco last October,” he added, concluding: “Long live the friendship between Morocco and France!”
The 430 kilometer lying line represented A MAD investment of 53 billion (5.3 billion US dollars) without rolling shares. It is part of a larger MAD program of 96 billion US dollars (9.6 billion US dollars), which includes the takeover of 168 new trains for MAD 29 billion (2.9 billion US dollars).
According to Khalid Khairane, director of high-speed rail projects in the national Railways Office (oncf) in Morocco, the construction is prepared for the 2030 FIFA World Championship, which is organized by Morocco together with Spain and Portugal.
“In 2029 we will start testing in this line to start operating at the end of the same year” told The press found that studies for the project have already been acquired in 2022 and three quarters of the required country.
The new line will drastically shorten the travel times along the most important business corridor Morocco. The trips last only 1 hour between Tangier and Rabat and 1 hour between Casablanca and Marrakech.
Read too: Morocco’s investment plan of 9.6 billion US dollars for the connection of 43 cities by 2040
The journey between Tangier and Casablanca as well as Rabat and Marrakech is reduced to 1 hour 40 minutes, while the full stretch of Tangier to Marrakech takes only 2 hours 40 minutes and saves more than 2 hours compared to current travel times.
The LGV will also go with the Mohammed V International in just 35 minutes with Casablanca International Airport, while serving the new Benslimane Stadium. In addition, the high -speed service between FeZ and Marrakech takes 40 minutes between FeZ and Marrakensch.
Luciano Borges, director of equipment at OnCF, announced that the project comprises the acquisition of 18 high -speed trains of the new generation (320 km/h) with a capacity of 641 seats each. deliver From the French manufacturer Alstom. This will expand the current fleet of Morocco from twelve to thirty trains.
“The selection process of manufacturers has set up reasonable partnerships for controlled maintenance through the development of suitable industrial tools through the criteria with high recyclability required for these trains,” explained Borges.
The high -speed line will serve 59% of the population in Morocco and combine economic regions that make up more than 67% of national GDP. It will create thousands of direct and indirect jobs and at the same time stimulate several sectors, including industry, services and tourism.
The international press has widespread the introduction of the project, whereby Business Insider Africa wrote that it “strengthens Morocco’s position as a continental leading provider in infrastructure development,” and determines that the country already operates the only functional high-speed rail network of Africa.
The project reflects the strategic vision of Morocco for sustainable development, in particular the promotion of collective mobility solutions with a low CO2 footprint and at the same time the positioning of its high-speed rail as a technological window for African countries that are looking for fast and sustainable transport solutions.
