Morocco’s national railway ONCF has awarded a €120m ($156.3m) contract for the design and supply of railway signalling and telecommunications for high-speed Tangier-Kenitra railway line to a consortium comprising French firms Ansaldo STS and Cofely Ineo.

The 183-kilometre line is currently under construction. The signalling equipment will allow trains to travel up to 320km/h once the line is finished in 2015.  

The Tangier-Kenitra line is the first phase of Morocco’s wider high-speed railway masterplan. Phase 2 will involve the construction of a line linking Kenitra to Casablanca.

The ONCF is also overseeing a project to improve the capacity of the existing railway connection between Tangier and Marrakech.

Increased rail capacity is needed to meet Morocco’s anticipated growth in demand for freight transportation capacity, particularly given the increasing amount of shipping traffic passing through the port of Tangier.

This project includes the construction of a 148km third track between Zenata and Kenitra dedicated to freight traffic. It also covers the upgrade and partial double-tracking works on a 40km stretch of rail between Settat and Marrakech. The entire project is scheduled for completion in 2016.

The deadline on the latest tender covering the redesign of the stations on the Tangier-Marrakech line has been extended by the ONCF. The deadline has been moved from 4 April to 2 May 2013.

Financing for the project was secured from the African Development Bank in December 2010. The bank lent the ONCF a five-year investment loan of €300m. Total project costs amounted to €438.2m, with the remainder of the funds to be raised by the rail authority.