Business
ONCF: Alstom, CAF, and Hyundai Rotem Secure Contracts for Acquiring 168 New Trains
These contracts cover the acquisition of 18 high-speed trains, 40 intercity trains, and 110 RER trains, with a total budget of 29 billion dirhams, as announced by ONCF in a statement on Wednesday.
It is official. ONCF has finalized the allocation of contracts related to its program for acquiring new trains, with a total budget of 29 billion dirhams.
This acquisition program for 168 new-generation trains aims to renew ONCF’s existing fleet and support traffic growth, as well as development projects initiated by 2030. This includes extending the high-speed line from Kenitra to Marrakech and developing new local rail services like “RER” in major regions of the kingdom.
The allocation of train acquisition contracts follows a competitive process conducted over a year through a competitive dialogue with major global railway manufacturers.
Thus, three contracts have been awarded to companies that submitted the most advantageous and economically viable offers. A contract for acquiring 18 high-speed trains was awarded to a consortium consisting of French company ALSTOM Transport SA and ALSTOM Railways Maroc; a contract for 40 intercity trains was awarded to Spanish company Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles (CAF); and another for acquiring 110 RER trains (Rapid Shuttle and Metropolitan Trains) was awarded to South Korean company Hyundai Rotem.
Factory and Maintenance
These contracts, ONCF specifies, include industrial compensation commitments with the development of industrial activities in Morocco to support the national railway industrial ecosystem. This includes setting up a local factory for manufacturing proximity trains with the aim of developing export ambitions in the medium and long term.
Additionally, ONCF and the selected manufacturers will conclude multi-year maintenance partnerships for the acquired trains.
The allocation of these contracts was accompanied by the mobilization of very concessional financing by the partners from the countries of origin, covering the entire amount of the contracts.
The commitment of ONCF and its selected partners allows for promising industrial development prospects, while confirming the railway’s role as the backbone of sustainable mobility. This will contribute to the success of co-hosting the 2030 World Cup by our kingdom with Spain and Portugal.
