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Morocco to get double-decker trains ahead of World Cup

By Pramod Kumar
Some parts of Hyundai Rotem's new trains will be manufactured in Morocco Creative Commons BY-SA 2.0
Some parts of Hyundai Rotem's new trains will be manufactured in Morocco

Hyundai Rotem, South Korea’s railway rolling-stock maker, will supply double-decker trains to Morocco’s state-backed National Railway Office (ONCF), as the country prepares to co-host the football World Cup in 2030.

The contract, valued at  MAD15 billion ($1.5 billion), will support the modernisation of the country’s rail network. 

The new trains are designed to reach speeds of 160km per hour and will connect Casablanca to major regions across the country, Morocco World News reported. 

Some parts of the trains will be manufactured in Morocco, supporting localisation. Hyundai Rotem will also seek to secure a long-term maintenance contract for the trains, the report said.

Morocco is planning to invest nearly 96 billion Moroccan dirhams ($9.5 billion) in projects to expand its rail network in the next five years, the transport and logistics minister said last month.

Abdul Samad Qayuh told parliament that MAD53 billion would be spent on the planned high-speed rail project and about MAD29 billion on purchasing 150 new trains.

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