Morocco will spend MAD 4.5 billion to extend tramway lines southwest to Temara and northeast to Sale Al Jadida from Rabat.
Rabat – Local authorities have approved the Rabat Tramway extension project to Temara, 15 kilometers south of Rabat, and to Sale Al Jadida, 10 kilometers east of Rabat, a source from the Tramway Company of Rabat-Sale (STRS) told daily newspaper L’Economiste.
Two tram lines, Line 1 and 2, currently connect the sister cities of Rabat and Sale.
The approval of the new extensions will speed up the completion of the study phase of the project to start construction in early 2020. The new tram stops are expected to enter into service in 2023, the daily newspaper reported January 6.
The extension will cost MAD 4.5 billion. The central government and local authorities will contribute 50 percent of the total budget.
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The first tests of the current 2.4 kilometer-long extension of Line 2 in Rabat to serve the Yacoub Al Mansour neighborhood are planned for January 25, 2019. The four new stops on the line in Rabat will begin service in February, the daily newspaper’s source said.
The current extension works of Line 2 in Sale are expected to be completed in July. The 4.6 kilometer-long extension will add 8 stations serving the Moulay Ismail and Al Quaria neighborhoods.
On October 24, 2017, King Mohammed VI launched the 7-kilometer extension works of Line 2 of the Rabat-Sale tramway at a cost of MAD 1.7 billion.
The Rabat-Sale tramway began operating on May 23, 2011. The network covers 19.5 kilometers with 31 stops. The Rabat-Sale tramway carries approximately 110,000 passengers per day.
