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.

Read Also: The South Korean KNR wins the design contract for the TGV railway between Marrakech and Agadir

The post Marrakech-Agadir high-speed line: the study phase has begun appeared first on Morocco Telegraph.

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.

The post The South Korean KNR wins the design contract for the TGV railway between Marrakech and Agadir appeared first on Morocco Telegraph.