Morocco is preparing to receive its first steel rail shipment from China for the Kenitra–Marrakech high-speed rail line. The 6,457 rails, each measuring 36 meters and totaling nearly 13,000 tons, departed Bayuquan Port in Liaoning on 15 November, marking the first batch of deliveries for the project.
The shipment is part of a supply contract signed earlier this year for the country’s second high-speed rail line. A consortium of three Chinese companies won the $51.6 million tender issued by ONCF, taking responsibility for producing and delivering the new rails. The consortium is expected to complete manufacturing and transport operations within 18 months.
In June, China Railway Construction Corporation (CRCC) also announced that it had secured a separate contract worth over 600 million dirhams to supply 60,000 tons of manganese steel rails. The rails will be manufactured to European 60 E1 standards and will each be 36 meters in length.
The Kenitra–Marrakech high-speed line will span 430 kilometres and was officially launched in April at Rabat-Agdal station. The project carries a total budget of 53 billion dirhams.
According to ONCF’s timeline, test runs on the line are scheduled to begin in January 2029, with commercial operations set to follow in November 2029. Once operational, the line is expected to carry up to 100 million passengers annually, strengthening Morocco’s national transport network.
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