August 10, 2024 – 4:20 PM – Morocco
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The Moroccan Railway Company has launched a tender for preparatory studies for a new railway line that will connect Casablanca to Beni Mellal via Oued Zem and Khouribga.
These studies will focus on several aspects, including doubling and adapting the section between Khouribga and Oued Zem, and building bridges to replace surface crossings between Sidi El Aidi and Oued Zem, according to the Challenge reports. The total cost of these studies is estimated at 38 million dirhams. Registrations will open on September 19 in Rabat.
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This decision comes after a recent meeting between the Wali of the Beni Mellal-Khenifra region and the Director General of the National Office of Railways, which highlighted the strategic importance of this project for the region. The new railway line is expected to bring significant economic benefits. “As a pioneering project in the Beni Mellal-Khenifra region, this line will have very positive social and economic impacts on the region and its inhabitants, in addition to its crucial role in shortening the distances between the region and the cities of Casablanca and Rabat,” the magazine writes.
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The project is part of a broader effort to modernize Morocco’s railway network. The ONCF recently selected a consortium of Aegis, Systra and Novik to help manage the Kenitra-Marrakech high-speed line project. The ambitious project will enable high-speed trains to travel at 320 km/h on more than 430 kilometres of new track. The project should be completed before the end of 2029, just before the FIFA World Cup.
