Status Under construction Line length 350 km (220 mi) Electrification 25 kV 50 Hz Operator ONCF | Planned opening 2018 Number of tracks Double track Locale Morocco | |
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Track gauge 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 ⁄2 in) standard gauge Terminis Tangier, Kenitra, Casablanca | ||
The Casablanca—Tangier high-speed rail line is a high-speed rail line under construction in Morocco. This was decided in November 2007 by the national government after a roadmap outlined in 2005 by Morocco's rail company ONCF. ONCF plans to deploy 1500 km of high speed lines in the next three decades. The first step of this project is under way between Tangier and Kenitra, to be completed in 2017; until this date a first upgrade (220 km/h) is programmed for the existing Kenitra–Casablanca line. After 2020 the Kenitra–Casablanca (320 km/h) line will be reformed and the Casablanca–Marrakech line will be upgraded at the same time to allow Tangier–Casablanca in 1h30 and Tangier–Marrakech in 2h45. In early 2009, a cooperation contract between Morocco's rail company ONCF and the French rail company SNCF was signed to cooperate on the project.
Contents
Project details
Sources of finance (20 billion dirhams total):
Expenditure:
Construction
In February 2010 ONCF signed agreements financing the construction of the 20bn dirham high-speed line between Tangier and Casablanca. Work was expected to start at the end of 2011, with services beginning in December 2015. However, this had been rescheduled to a later date. The foundation stone of the project was laid on 29 September 2011, with the first phase to be operational in 2016.
The line is to be constructed in two sections—a new route from Tangier to Kénitra and an upgrade of the existing route from Kénitra to Casablanca. There will be a top speed of 320 km/h (200 mph) on the new line and 220 km/h (140 mph) on the upgraded line. Upon completion, the travel time between Casablanca and Tangier will be reduced from 5 hours and 45 minutes to 2 hours and 10 minutes. A potential second phase would see a new track built between Kénitra and Casablanca and upgrade Casablanca - Marrakech to set 1h 30m Tangier - Casablanca and 1h 05m Casablanca - Marrakech and then link Tangier to Marrakech in less than 3 hours (10 hours today).
Trains
On 10 December 2010 ONCF signed a contract worth nearly €400M with Alstom for 14 Euroduplex trains each capable of carrying 533 passengers.
Criticism
The project has attracted criticism for being a misguided use of money when there are more serious problems than transport facing Morocco. The country's former finance minister, Mohamed Berrada, said that a better use of the money spent on the rail line would be to address poverty and illiteracy.
Technical information
Signalling and train protection system of the line will be installed by Ansaldo STS and Cofely Ineo. It will be of the type ETCS 1 and 2, and will allow trains to run up to 320 km/h on the line.