By Ahmed Eljechtimi
RABAT (Reuters) – France will lend Morocco 781 million euros to finance the purchase of 18 high-speed trains made by Alstom, the French embassy in Rabat said on Friday.
The trains are part of a plan to extend the high-speed rail network from Kenitra on the western coast to Marrakech before the 2030 World Cup that Morocco will co-host with Spain and Portugal.
Alstom will supply Moroccan state-owned rail operator ONCF, with Avelia Horizon double-decker trains that can carry 640 passengers with a speed of 320 km/h, the embassy said in a statement.
ONCF also aims to expand its network to double the number of cities it serves to 43, or 87% of the Moroccan population, by 2040.
In February, ONCF said it will also buy 150 trains under concessional loans from Spain and South Korea as it expands urban, intercity and high-speed rail networks.
South Korea’s Hyundai Rotem will supply 110 urban trains worth $1.5 billion, while Spain’s CAF will build 40 intercity trains for $813 million.
The deals include investments in the country’s nascent rail industry, ONCF said last month.
(Reporting by Ahmed Eljechtimi; Editing by Angus MacSwan)
