The design contract for the Marrakech-Agadir high-speed train line has just been assigned to the South Korean corporation KNR, which is in charge of the Korean national railway.

According to www.railjournal.com, the corporation in charge of the South Korean national railway, KNR (Korean National Railway), has just won the design contract for Marrakech-Agadir TGV route. “A consortium led by Korean National Railways (KNR) won a 10 billion (US$32 million) contract with ONCF to provide basic and detailed design services for the third section of the planned 230-kilometer Marrakech-Agadir high-speed line,” the newspaper reports, adding that KNR will work with Dohwa Engineering of Korea and a local partner to complete the project.

According to the same source, the Korean firm has been successful in eliminating competition from French engineering firms already involved in the Moroccan high-speed sector. It’s worth noting that this is KNR’s first contract in Africa for high-speed work. Next month, the group plans to begin work on the project. “In January, Moroccan Minister of Transport and Logistics Mohamed Abdeljalil told the House of Representatives that ONCF had completed the design studies for the Marrakech-Agadir project, which included infrastructure and construction work. The newspaper recounts civil engineering and topographical surveys.

It’s worth noting that the Marrakech-Agadir TGV Line is anticipated to cost 50 billion DH (5.08 billion USD) and that its completion is contingent on receiving the necessary funding, given that the government is open to a public-private partnership (PPP) model. Furthermore, the newspaper reports that work to modernize the existing railway line at the Kenitra-Rabat high-speed line’s terminus is already beginning, and that Morocco is considering extending the Rabat-Casablanca high-speed line. To provide a comprehensive Tangier – Agadir corridor in Marrakech. “Awarding this project was an opportunity to show the world that Korea has the technology to export high-speed rail concepts,” KNR president Kim Han-young said.

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