A key part of the high-speed rail project between Kenitra and Marrakech has been delayed after no company bid for a contract to build several new stations. The National Railways Office (ONCF) declared the second phase of the tender unsuccessful because it received no offers. The contract covers the eighth section of the project. It is worth an estimated 385 million dirhams ($38m) excluding tax.
The work includes a high-speed rail station and a Regional Express Network (RER) station in Benguerir Green City. It also covers stations at Sidi Bou Othmane, Sidi Ghanem and Marrakech Stadium.
The delay affects these stations, but other parts of the rail project are moving ahead.
ONCF awarded a separate contract in July to Travaux Généraux de Construction de Casablanca (TGCC). The company will build the Marrakech Guéliz station and the Marrakech Technical Centre.
TGCC offered 562.7m dirhams, excluding tax. Its bid was lower than the one submitted by Société Générale d’Travaux du Maroc (SGTM), which offered more than 572m dirhams.
The Kenitra-Marrakech line is part of a wider 96bn-dirham rail investment programme.
The programme includes:
- 53bn dirhams for rail infrastructure and equipment linked to the Kenitra-Marrakech line
- 29bn dirhams to buy 168 new trains
- 14bn dirhams to upgrade and maintain the existing rail network
ONCF has described the programme as an: “unprecedented transformation of the national rail ecosystem, backed by a total investment of 96 billion MAD, including 53 billion MAD dedicated to infrastructure and equipment for the Kenitra–Marrakech axis.”
Trains on the new line are expected to run at up to 320km/h in normal service. The design speed is 350km/h.
The project should cut the Tangier-Marrakech journey from more than five hours to about three hours. Rabat-Marrakech travel should take about one hour and 15 minutes.
The wider plan also includes a high-speed route around Casablanca. This should allow long-distance trains to avoid the busiest parts of the existing network.
ONCF is also preparing to buy 168 new trains. The order includes 18 high-speed trains, 40 intercity trains, 60 regional trains and 50 RER trains.
Alstom, Hyundai Rotem, CAF, Talgo and CRRC are among the major international manufacturers involved in the wider competition and industrial discussions.
New RER services are also planned around Casablanca, Rabat-Salé-Kenitra and Marrakech-Safi.
The planned Marrakech Stadium station would give fans direct access to the stadium by rail. The Benguerir Green City station would also connect the rail network to the growing research and technology hub around Mohammed VI Polytechnic University.
ONCF will now need to restart or adjust the tender process for the affected stations before that part of the project can move forward.
