ONCF awards Italian GCF contracts for high-speed rail extension to Marrakech

Wednesday 02 April 2025 - 15:00

By: Dakir Madiha

ONCF awards Italian GCF contracts for high-speed rail extension to Marrakech

The Office National des Chemins de Fer (ONCF) has awarded two construction contracts to the Italian company Generale Costruzioni Ferroviarie (GCF) for the extension of the high-speed rail line connecting Tangier and Kenitra to Marrakech.

GCF will lead a consortium that includes its subsidiaries Transalpes Renouvellement, GCF Électriques, and GCF Maroc to execute Lot 2, which covers the southern segment of 200 kilometers between Sidi El Aïdi and Marrakech.

Valued at €140 million (approximately 1.5 billion dirhams), this contract involves laying railway tracks and installing catenary infrastructure, which includes foundation excavation, support placement, and electrified equipment installation. The company has announced that detailed design work is underway, with preparatory activities already commenced.

To successfully implement this project, GCF will establish construction bases in Sidi El Aïdi and Benguérir, serving as logistical hubs, material warehouses, and maintenance points for construction equipment. In Benguérir, a manufacturing site for railway sleepers and a rail welding unit will be developed. These facilities will be available to ONCF in anticipation of the future extension of the line to Agadir. The steel for the tracks will be supplied by JSW Steel Italy.

Additionally, GCF, in partnership with GCF Maroc, has been awarded Lot 4, which involves modernizing the conventional line between Sidi El Aïdi and Marrakech for €55 million (approximately 600 million dirhams). This program includes renewing tracks, switches, and catenary networks, alongside various infrastructure works.

The project also encompasses the rehabilitation of six stations: Sidi El Aïdi, Settat, Ben Guérir, Sidi Bouâtman, Palmerale-Sidi Ghanem, and Guéliz. Two new stations will be constructed at Ville Verte and Stade de Marrakech, facilitating connections with the under-construction high-speed line.

The construction, scheduled to last 36 months, aims to enhance the flow of mixed traffic along this strategic corridor.