The Moroccan National Railways Office (ONCF) began discussions with South Korea’s Hyundai Rotem on Monday, September 9, as part of an international tender (DC01/PM/2023) to purchase 168 new trains for the kingdom.
The value of this massive deal is estimated at approximately 1.6 billion US dollars (equivalent to 16 billion Moroccan dirhams). Hyundai Rotem is competing with several leading global companies in the train manufacturing industry, namely:
- Alstom from France
- Talgo from Spain
- CAF from Spain
- CRRC from China
This ambitious project is divided into four sub-sections:
- 18 high-speed trains (LGV)
- 40 intercity trains
- 60 rapid shuttle trains (TNR)
- 50 Regional Express Network trains (RER)
This project comes as part of Morocco’s efforts to modernize and expand the country’s rail network, which will contribute to improving transportation services and enhancing the transportation infrastructure.
The process of selecting the winning company and finalizing the deal is expected to take several months, given the project’s size and strategic importance to the kingdom. Observers and those interested in the transportation sector will closely monitor the developments of this major deal and its potential impact on the future of rail transport in Morocco.