Morocco considers Alstom to be the “preferred proposal” for the supply of 18 Avelia Horizon trains to the Moroccan National Railway Office (ONCF). “This double-decker model has tipped the balance in favor of Alstom, since the models proposed by CAF, Talgo and Hyundai Rotem are single-decker trains,” explained an ONCF source cited by the Moroccan news portal Hespress.
The contract, for an estimated value of 10 billion euros, is one of those agreed upon during last week’s state visit by French President Emmanuel Macron, although it has not yet been signed.
Following the announcement of this decision,The other contestants can appeal within the established period and once exhausted, the contract will be formally signed. Rabat hopes to have the trains running before the 2030 World Cup it is hosting with Portugal and Spain as co-hosts.
“Alstom is delighted to have been chosen as the ONCF’s preferred option for the high-speed train,” sources from the French company itself were quoted as saying by the BFMTV channel. “The new generation Avelia Horizon trains are the ones with the most competitive cost per seat and life cycle andn the current market and significantly improve the passenger experience,” they added.
France is expected to contribute part of the financing of the project, as it already did with the construction of the first Moroccan high-speed line, between Tangier and Casablanca. Paris contributed 51 percent of the €2 billion cost of the project, inaugurated in 2018. In addition, Alstom has two factories in Morocco.
A new chapter in the bilateral relationship
The Moroccan Minister of Foreign Affairs, Nasser Bourita, has highlighted that Macron’s recent visit to Morocco has opened “a new chapter” in bilateral relations between the two countries.
In particular, he has highlighted the declaration signed by Macron and King Mohamed VI. “This declaration highlights priority areas of cooperation, including renewable energies or improvement of railway or maritime infrastructure,” Bourita highlighted in an interview published this Sunday by the French magazine ‘Le Point’.
Compliance with this declaration of intent will be the responsibility of a supervisory commission reporting directly to the two heads of state, Bourita recalled. who has been optimistic about the implementation of large projects, such as high speed or green hydrogen “with a new spirit of collaboration”.
Bourita has also highlighted that France aligns itself with Morocco in the Western Sahara dispute with its support for the proposed autonomy plan and the recognition of Moroccan sovereignty over the territory. Thus, he recalled that “Almost 20 of the 27 EU members support this position.”
At a global level, there are more than 112 countries that support the Moroccan autonomy plan, including the United States and important African countries, according to Bourita. “All the conditions are in place to move forward,” he highlighted.
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