A new railway will connect Tangier city centre with Ibn Battouta Airport under a project now moving into the construction phase. The National Railways Office (ONCF) has opened a tender for the infrastructure and civil engineering work on the 22.5km line.
The railway will start at Tanger Ville station and end at the airport’s new terminal. It will also serve Mghogha, Aouama, Les Deux Mers, Grand Stade Ibn Battouta and the university area.
The tender is split into three lots. Companies have until 1 October to apply. ONCF has not yet announced the expected cost of the construction work.
Companies must have strong experience to qualify. Each bidder must show at least two certificates for similar projects worth at least 300m dirhams ($30m) each, excluding tax. The projects must have been completed within the past 10 years.
The first lot covers about 10km between Tanger Ville and PK 11+500. It will include a single-track railway platform built close to existing railway lines.
The second lot covers about 7.5km between PK 10+800 and Grand Stade Ibn Battouta. This section will have two tracks.
The final section will connect the stadium to the airport area over nearly 6km. Most of this section will run on an elevated structure. ONCF describes it as a “continuous aerial viaduct of nearly 6,000 metres”.
The route will also pass close to the wholesale market and the new bus station.
Rail equipment is already being ordered for the project.
ONCF awarded JSW Steel Italy Piombino a €14.06m contract in late August to supply “new rails of profile 60 E1, with an elementary length of 36 metres”. The rails will be used across several projects, including the Tangier airport link, the Nador West Med connection and the second phase of Aïn Dalia station.
A separate €19.079m contract, excluding tax, went to a Chinese consortium made up of China Railway Material Group Hong Kong & Macau and China Railway Construction Heavy Industry Corporation.
The contract covers the supply of railway points and crossings for several projects, including the Tangier airport link, Nador West Med and Aïn Dalia.
The civil engineering tender is now one of the main contracts still to be awarded for the new airport railway.
