MOROCCAN National Railways (ONCF) has awarded civil works contracts worth $US 964m for the 375km Kénitra - Marrakech high-speed line currently under construction to local and Chinese companies, according to local media, following tenders announced earlier this year.
China Railway Number 4 Engineering Group (CREC 4) has won a Dirhams 3.4bn ($US 348.9m) contract for the 63km Phase 1, which runs from Sidi Ishou to Rabat. China's Shandong Hi-Speed Group has been awarded a Dirhams 4bn contract for the 64km Phase 2 from Rabat Agdal to Zenata, and Moroccan firm Travaux Généraux de Construction de Casablanca (TGCC) has won a Dirhams 2.8bn contract for the 51km Phase 4 from Berrechid to Settat.
ONCF has also issued a $US 62m tender for the supply of rail for the new line.
According to Spanish media, the tender specifies 60 E1 profile rails of grade R 260 Mn. The winning bidder will be responsible for transporting the rails to the port of Casablanca. ONCF will be responsible for onward delivery to construction sites at Kénitra and Benguerir.
Morocco is speeding up the construction of its high-speed rail network as it prepares for its role as joint host of the 2030 Football World Cup, along with Spain and Portugal.
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