Marrakech-Agadir high-speed line: the study phase has begun

On Mar 30, 2023

The National Railways Office (ONCF), through its purchasing department, has just launched the phase of the preliminary design studies (APS) for the Marrakech-Agadir high-speed line (LGV). The budget planned for this operation is around 120 million, says the daily Les Inspirations Eco in its edition on Thursday 30 March.

“This estimated cost concerns the realization of the APS studies, on the one hand, of the infrastructure, civil engineering, and railway equipment, and, on the other hand, of the railway operation with its terminal installations and its operating system necessary for the railway line between Marrakech and Agadir”, it says. The overall execution period for the studies has been set at 16 months. The contract will be awarded on 10 May 2023, according to the date already set by ONCF for the opening of bids.

This LGV line will be designed for mixed traffic, both for passengers with a speed of 320 km/h and freight at 100 km/h, when it is commissioned. The program comprises several components, including the high-speed line itself, its connections to the existing line, in addition to the remote control station (PCD). In addition, there are the installations of the connections, the existing stations, the creation of the substation, and the maintenance workshop.

“For ONCF, this line must be designed so that its performance and safety level are globally at least equivalent to those offered by the Tangier-Kenitra high-speed line, commissioned in 2018. On this last point, the operation of the current high-speed line has demonstrated, according to ONCF, that the tracking technology used until now was well adapted to high speed. In this sense, continuity is planned in compliance with the requirements of the European technical specifications for interoperability (TSI)”, the daily points out.