Morocco’s Casablanca Transports and Luxembourg-based European Investment Bank have signed a MD600m ($63m) financing deal as part of the project to build Casablanca’s second tram line.

Line 2 of the Casa Tramway is under construction and is expected to be completed in the second half of 2018.

According to a local media report, Line 2 will extend 17 kilometres and serve 22 stations. It will link Casablanca’s eastern Ain Sebaa district to Anoual Boulevard and serve nine boroughs of more than one million inhabitants.

Casa Transports plans to build additional tramway lines. It expects to launch the tenders for the civil works and systems for lines 3 and 4 imminently.

Preparatory works, which include underground networks, began in April and are expected to be completed in October 2018, when construction of the two lines is expected to commence.

The two lines will require an investment of MD8.4bn ($850m).

The Moroccan state as well as the regional and municipal governments of Casablanca will supply funding for 60 per cent of the project. Guaranteed loans will be utilised for the remaining 40 per cent of the budget.

The proposed Line 3 will link the Moulay Rachid industrial area, the Ben Msik College, Mabrouka, Ouled Zian and the Hassan II mosque all in Casablanca. Line 4 will extend from Derb Soltane to the Casa Port.

In July, Casablanca Transports received bids for the rolling stock package of lines 3 and 4.

Companies that have submitted an offer are:

• Alstom Transport (France)
• Bombardier CAS (Canada)
• CRRC Zhuzhou Locomotive (China)
• Skoda Transportation (Czech Republic)

The contract is expected to be awarded soon.