The Finance Bill foresees the investment of this money between 2022 and 2024 mainly to link the big cities

Marruecos invierte 700 millones de euros en la mejora de infraestructuras ferroviarias

photo_camera AFP/FADEL SENNA - King Mohammed VI of Morocco arrives at the inauguration of the Agdal train station in the capital (Rabat) for the new LGV (high-speed train) line on November 17, 2018

The document on Establishments and Public Enterprises (EEP) has reported on the Finance Bill (PLF), in which an investment of 700 million euros will be made for the National Railway Office. The money will be invested in the reform of the railway infrastructure to be implemented in the period between 2022 and 2024, when the reforms will be carried out. The main focus of this reform is the rehabilitation of the infrastructure and the renewal of the materials used.

estacion-trenes-kenitra

This idea is part of the implementation made by the new government, which will consolidate and define the right financing programme so that the project starts as soon as possible and is carried out in a proper way that will strengthen the connection between the different regions of the Maghreb country and, above all, the most important cities where the economic life of the region takes place.  

In 2022, 276 million euros of this money will be used, 211 million euros in 2023 and 274 million euros in 2024. The ONCF has used 65 million euros to date and expects 258 million euros to be used by the end of this year in current plans that are nearing completion. It should be noted that it has turned over 152 million euros this year alone with a forecast of 318 million euros. The intention of this is to achieve a necessary modernity and to resemble the large transport systems, which can be seen in European cities. 

rey-mohamed vi-marruecos

One of the projects in this programme will be the connection between the Casablanca-Settat region. In Casablanca, the Ministry of Transport has earmarked around 2 billion dirhams for the improvement of the T3 and T4 tram lines, and 710 million dirhams for the L5 and L6 bus lines (BRT). In addition, apart from upgrading the city's railways and roads, money will be spent on improving and strengthening roads, both within the city itself and on rural and conventional roads that run through the territory. A large part of the money will also go to the expansion of the port of Casablanca at the Moulay Youssef quay. 

Nadia Fettah Alaoui, the Kingdom's Minister of Economy and Finance, presented the plan during one of the joint sessions of the two chambers, describing it as "historic" and based on the orientations that King Mohammed VI himself made during the National Development Plan and the new programme of Aziz Akhannouch's government. He also pointed out that over the last ten years, the country has begun the first modernisation, but that this involvement and this project involves a second modernisation that foresees a growth rate of 3.2% and has a double dimension, socio-economic, financial and political. As a result of COVID-19, the aim is to boost the economy and return to normality. 

trenes-marruecos

The ONCF plans to close this last quarter of 2021 with 30 million passengers using Kingdom-enabled transport. During 2020, due to the pandemic and months of confinement, this activity fell by 45% less than is usually seen compared to 2019 passengers. In addition, it is worth noting that COVID-19 impacted in a very drastic way as fewer trains were running and resulted in a 98% loss of turnover from passenger activity, in addition to the closure of several transport-related businesses. For this, ONFC has put in place an emergency plan to maintain and guarantee the activities of customers, employees and partners who are in continuity with the transport system.

More in Economy and business