Rabat – In a parliament session on January 2, Minister of Transport and Logistics Mohamed Abdeljalil provided insight into the funding required for the Rail Maroc project, noting that the budget is set at MAD 400 billion ($38 billion).
The transport minister was questioned on the project that strives to find “innovative financing solutions,” to mobilize the large-scale network that will carry high-speed TGV trains, reported the Moroccan news outlet Telquel.
Morocco’s National Railways Office (ONCF), which is leading the project, says they need investments from both public and private partnerships to implement it.
The new railway consists of over 3,800 kilometers of medium-speed tracks and over 1,300 high-speed tracks; it will run between Tangier to Agadir and also from Oujda to Rabat.
Minister Adeljalil confirmed that the new network was aiming to expand the current connection of 23 Moroccan cities to 43.
Through the expansion, a substantial 87% of Morocco’s population will have access to rail transportation.
Currently, only 51% of Moroccans have access to rail networks, meaning this project could make a substantial difference to the country’s transport system.
National rail service ONCF signed a loan deal in November 2022 with the European Investment Bank to help fund other projects, such as upgrading the country’s rail network, including infrastructure, equipment, and electric traction installations.
