MOROCCO | High Speed Rail

[virgule82]

Alstom just signed a contract to build a TGV line Tangier-Rabat-Casablanca. The contract is worth 2 billion euros and the first section Tangier-Kenitra should be ready in 2013. This will be the first high-speed line both in Africa and the Muslim world, I believe. The order includes 18 TGV Duplex trains.


http://www.reuters.com/article/compa...00881320071022

[Ashok]

ooo. nice!

[Metropolitan]

Congratulations to Morocco. That 300 km line makes perfect sense. I guess it should make the whole trip from Tangiers to Casablanca in a bit more than an hour. That should boost the Moroccan economy.

Considering that Spain has a high speed rail line to Sevilla, we would just need to build to build a tunnel under Gibraltar and then we would could get trains getting from Madrid to Casablanca in 3 hours and a half !

[BEN80]

That's a good thing!

Is there any rail transports existing in Morocco?

[Coccodrillo]

Yes of course: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transport_in_Morocco

[Nick]

Congrats to Morocco.

I wish Australia could do it as well

[SmarterChild]

Originally Posted by virgule82

This will be the first high-speed line both in Africa and the Muslim world, I believe.

Plenty of high-speed lines under construction in Turkey, Iran and a few other Middle eastern countries.

[p-s-30@za2]

The Shinkansen may enter it, too.

[virgule82]

Originally Posted by SmarterChild

Plenty of high-speed lines under construction in Turkey, Iran and a few other Middle eastern countries.

You're right, I forgot about Turkey. The other lines are still at the planning stage, so I guess we'll see who can finish them first.

[Joeman]

Good for Morocco, hope i gets built soon.

[Dothog]

Any thought of a link to Spain?

[Gag Halfrunt]

The Moroccan forum has a photo thread about railways in Morocco.

[elfabyanos]

Originally Posted by Dothog

Any thought of a link to Spain?

Yep. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/3317149.stm

Spain and Morocco say they have agreed to build a 39-kilometre rail tunnel beneath the Mediterranean Sea, to link Europe and Africa.

The Spanish Development Ministry said two adjacent tunnels will run beneath the Straits of Gibraltar to Morocco.

They are planned to run between Punta Palomas, 40 km west of Gibraltar and Punta Malabata near Tangiers.

The ministry said the route had been chosen because the Mediterranean at that point is just 300 metres deep.

The ministry said that a joint Spanish and Moroccan committee of officials had already agreed a preliminary three-year plan of works to start as early as next year, with an estimated initial cost of $30m.

Although this article is from 2003, I'm not sure how far it's actually progressed.

[zelterheist]

good for morocco. isn't alstom a french company?

[arriaca]

Originally Posted by SmarterChild

Plenty of high-speed lines under construction in Turkey, Iran and a few other Middle eastern countries.

Yes, they buy Spanish trains http://www.caf.net/caste/productos/p...c=desc&pais=23

Originally Posted by Dothog

Any thought of a link to Spain?

Since 1980 explores the construction of a tunnel. But it is too expensive to justify the investment

Originally Posted by zelterheist

good for morocco. isn't alstom a french company?

Yes, don´t forget that Morocco was a French and Spanish colony

[eomer]

Originally Posted by arriaca

Yes, don´t forget that Morocco was a French and Spanish colony

Morocco wasn't a French Colony: it was a Spanish Colony and a French Protectorate. Morocco is still an Arab Colony.

[Pule]

Originally Posted by virgule82

Alstom just signed a contract to build a TGV line Tangier-Rabat-Casablanca. The contract is worth 2 billion euros and the first section Tangier-Kenitra should be ready in 2013. This will be the first high-speed line both in Africa and the Muslim world, I believe. The order includes 18 TGV Duplex trains.


http://www.reuters.com/article/compa...00881320071022

Cograts to Morroco, that's very good although its not the first for Africa as Johannesburg and Pretoria will be running the high speed train in 2010. Its already under construction.

www.gautrain.co.za

[AR1182]

Originally Posted by Pule

Cograts to Morroco, that's very good although its not the first for Africa as Johannesburg and Pretoria will be running the high speed train in 2010. Its already under construction.

www.gautrain.co.za

Gautrain is a huge rail project but it will have a maximum speed of "just" 160 Km/h, while high speed is considered to start at 250 Km/h. Such speeds wouldn't be too practical for Gautrain anyway.

[hkskyline]

Morocco announces nine-billion-euro high-speed train

CASABLANCA, Morocco, Nov 27, 2007 (AFP) - Morocco's transport minister on Tuesday announced plans for a nine-billion-euro high-speed rail link between the Tangiers and Agadir for 2030, with French operators footing half the bill.

The line was part of a more ambitious plan for high-speed rail routes linking all the country's main cities -- and eventually a network that would spread across north Africa.

"The high-speed train project will require an investment of about 100 billion dirhams (9.1 billion euros, 13.5 billion dollars) of which 50 percent will be financed by French operators," said Transport Minister Karim Ghellab.

The European Union, the Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development, the World Bank and the African Development Bank would also contribute, he said, speaking from Casablanca.

In October, French President Nicolas Sarkozy signed a draft accord for the high-speed rail link between Tangiers and Casablanca, which lies on the route to Agadir, part of a broader package of deals.

About half the estimated construction cost of 2 billion euros would go to French group Alstom, makers of the high-speed TGV train, as well as French rail operator SNCF and network manager RFF.

On Tuesday, Morocco announced broader plans for a high-speed line between Casablanca on the Atlantic coast and Oujda to the west, on the other side of the country. That would cut the 12-hour journey down to five hours.

Other plans included a high-speed rail network across linking the countries of north Africa.

Last June, Morocco and Spain sought EU funding for a joint rail project linking Europe and Africa, passing under the Straits of Gibraltar.

Prime Minister Abbas El Fassi said Morocco, which has already invested 50 billion dirhams in major infrastructure projects between 2002 and 2007, was due to increase spending in this area.

[aquablue]

Its amazing how countries like Morroco see the light, while backward countries like the USA and Australia hold back.