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Rabat – The Spanish railway construction company Talgo is competing against French firms to secure contracts for high-speed train projects in Morocco.
According to converging media reports, the project is part of a list of infrastructure projects Morocco is planning to complete ahead of the World Cup in 2030.
Talgo is looking towards Morocco to expand its order book for the remainder of the decade, Spanish media reported, noting that the company is interested in participating in the various tenders Morocco is proposing.
The first of these tenders, valued at €839 million, is expected to be released soon and is intended for the purchase of trains for commuter and regional services, reports add.
Morocco has equally budgeted MAD 12.7 billion (€1.167 billion) for the acquisition of new trains by 2026, which opens the door to a second order for high-speed trains.
Talgo aims to propose two of its major products: the high-speed Avril train and the light commuter and regional EMU train, which can reach speeds of up to 160 kilometers per hour but has not yet been commercialized. The Avril train has just received the final approval to operate on Spanish tracks.
Talgo has an advantage in that the Spanish government earlier this year reaffirmed a memorandum of understanding with its Moroccan counterpart.
The agreement included support for the construction of major infrastructure projects such as the expansion of the high-speed rail network, according to a report from Lainformacion, a business-focused Spanish media outlet. In recent weeks, Morocco has expressed interest in collaborating with Spain on infrastructure projects.
Read also: Morocco’s High-Speed Train Trial Run Finishes in Marrakech
The Director General of the Morocco-Spain Economic Council, Houda Benghazi, recently mentioned the launch of a new industrial partnership in the railway sector between the two countries.
“I believe the next value chain we will have is that of trains. Spain and Morocco will build the trains we will use in the World Cup,” Benghazi was quoted as saying.
“It’s a bidding process, but I’m sure my country will be smart and do it with the Spaniards, not the Japanese,” she continued.
ONCF, Morocco’s railway operator, is set to launch a public tender valued at €839 million to add up to 120 new trains to the country’s railway network.
Mohamed Semmuni, ONCF’s Deputy General Director, revealed in June that companies interested in the tender included Spain’s Talgo and CAF, as well as Alstom and seven other companies from around the world, including Chinese and Japanese..
The winning bidder will be required to establish a factory in Morocco to manufacture these units using local labor. The trains, which will replace around fifty that have reached the end of their service life, are projected to speeds approaching 200 kilometers per hour to increase the operational capacity of the Moroccan network.
