France and Morocco have signed a frame agreement to build a high-speed rail link to link from Tangier and Casablanca, to meet a rise in passenger numbers.
The deal is part of a the Moroccan railway master plan which aims to construct 1,500km of high-speed rail lines by 2035, capable of carrying 120 million travellers on two routes – the Tangier-Marrakech-Agadir Atlantic link and the Rabat-Fez-Oujda Maghreb link.
The agreement will allow French rail manufacturer Alstom to design, manufacture, operate and maintain the new 200km rail link.
Alstom will also provide 20 Prima electric locomotives for freight and passenger transportation throughout the Moroccan rail network in a contract worth €74m.
Alstom says the link will be used by trains running at 320kph and should be in operation by 2013.
The new link will make Morocco the first African country to have a high-speed rail infrastrcuture to match Europe.
By staff writer
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