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Rabat — Morocco’s Transport and Logistics Minister Abdessamad Kayouh said on Monday that the North African country is working on updating and boosting its train network ahead of the FIFA 2030 World Cup.
Speaking at the oral question session at the House of Representatives, Kayouh said that the train sector development has seen noticeable changes as part of the country’s ambitious program to update the network.
The minister further noted that the ambitious initiative aims to enhance the traveler’s experience through the improvement of services, noting that they have remodeled 346 vehicles and bought 60 new ones.
He also indicated that the fleet has been strengthened with the purchase of 30 locomotives, which operate on a 380-volt electrical generation system.
Kayouh explained that these initiatives fall within the framework of the 2030 national railway plan, which aims to expand the railway network across different regions in the country.
The National Railway Office (ONCF), he added, is working on purchasing 168 new trains, including high-speed ones, to support this rapid development.
The minister stressed that these efforts also come in line with the country’s preparations to co-host the 2030 FIFA World Cup with Spain and Portugal.
Developing the rail infrastructure is a fundamental pillar for the success of this global event, he concluded.
The North African country has been investing much in preparing to co-host the world’s most prestigious tournament in 2030. Morocco has recently launched a large-scale railway project in the Casablanca metropolitan area worth $2 billion as part of a wider $9.6 billion rail development program.
In April, King Mohammed VI initiated a larger plan with the Kenitra-Marrakech high-speed rail (LGV) line – a 430-kilometer corridor set to become one of Africa’s most ambitious rail undertakings.
Passengers complain of recurrent delays
However, the government’s announcement comes as passengers and commuters continue to voice anger over the ONCF services.
Following a breakdown in one of the high-speed trains on Friday, railway transportation was disrupted in the northern part of the country, leaving people stranded in multiple stations for hours.
ONCF’s train users took to social media to voice their frustration over the absence of communication and the unavailability of a shuttle as a solution for delays, as well as deploring the situation of the vehicles themselves.
The company limited itself to apologizing to clients for the delay, blaming it on a technical issue that they fixed after hours.
The Ministry of Transport is yet to keep its promises to frustrated clients and get its railway services well prepared for the international tournament.
