Two European railway companies have set up a new joint venture in Casablanca to maintain railway tracks in Morocco. Vossloh Services France and Futrifer launched Vossloh Futrifer Services Maroc. The company will work on the national railway network run by ONCF, as well as urban rail networks in Casablanca and Rabat.
Its work will include rail welding, grinding, milling and maintenance of turnouts, which are used to move trains from one track to another.
The two companies have worked together in France since 2024. Their first teams in Morocco will come from their existing staff in France and Portugal.
The joint venture plans to start hiring and training Moroccan workers in 2027.
The company will use both manual and robot-assisted equipment to weld rails. It will also use grinding and milling machines to repair damaged rail surfaces and keep tracks in good condition.
Vossloh’s High Speed Grinding technology can work at speeds of up to 80km/h. The system removes about 0.1mm of the hardened surface layer from the rail during each pass.
The technology can also cut rail traffic noise by up to 10 decibels. It does this by making the rail surface smoother, with a target roughness of between 4 and 8 micrometres.
The equipment includes four grinding units and four-position magazines holding 96 grinding stones each. The system can cover about 30km to 40km per row and has dust extraction equipment designed for shifts of up to 250km.
Vossloh has not said which machines will be used in Morocco.
The company has also not announced its first maintenance contract, the railway sections that will be covered or how much work will be carried out.
The new venture comes as the railway network is set to grow significantly over the next 15 years.
The Rail Plan 2040 includes up to 1,300km of high-speed railway lines, including a core network of 1,100km.
The conventional rail network is planned to reach 3,800km. It would connect 43 cities, compared with 23 today, and 15 ports.
The overall rail programme has been estimated at about £30bn ($39bn).
One of the main projects is a 430km high-speed line linking Kenitra, Rabat, Casablanca and Marrakech. The line is designed for speeds of up to 350km/h, with trains expected to operate at up to 320km/h.
ONCF has ordered 18 Alstom Avelia Horizon double-decker high-speed trains. Deliveries are due to start in 2027.
The rail expansion is also part of preparations for the 2030 FIFA World Cup, which will be hosted by Morocco, Spain and Portugal.
Urban rail systems in Casablanca and Rabat will also need regular track maintenance as their networks expand.
Vossloh already has a role in the wider rail expansion. In 2024, it won an order to supply rail fastening systems and turnouts for the planned high-speed line between Casablanca and Marrakech.
The new company will initially depend on European workers before moving towards a local workforce from 2027.
