France lends €781 million to Morocco to purchase Alstom high-speed trains
The French government has granted funding of 781 million euros (8.2 billion dirhams) to Morocco in the form of a French Treasury loan, intended for the purchase of 18 Alstom high-speed trains by the National Railway Office (ONCF). This acquisition is part of the project to extend the high-speed rail line to Marrakech.
This funding is part of the financial cooperation agreement in the railway sector, signed on October 28, 2024, during President Emmanuel Macron's visit to Morocco.
The 18 trains will be supplied by Alstom, a French industrial group present in Morocco for nearly a century. The model in question is the Avelia Horizon, a double-decker train that can accommodate up to 640 passengers and reach a maximum speed of 320 km/h.
«This exceptional aid confirms the excellent Franco-Moroccan cooperation in the railway sector, which has already ensured the success of the high-speed line connecting Tangier to Kenitra, with nearly 5 million passengers transported in 2024. France and its companies will once again stand by Morocco to successfully extend the line to Marrakech».
Christophe Lecourtier, French Ambassador to Morocco
Besides its role in improving infrastructure, this new acquisition aims to reduce the carbon footprint of rail transport in Morocco, perfectly in line with the sustainable mobility goals set by the Kingdom.
While the trains will be manufactured in France, the Alstom plant in Fès will contribute to the project by producing electrical cabinets and cable harnesses, thereby strengthening the local railway ecosystem and Moroccan expertise in the field.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Morocco World
2 hours ago
- Morocco World
LinkAI Brings Global Ad Intelligence to Morocco
Rabat – On June 19, Integrate, Kantar's exclusive affiliate in Morocco, will host a breakfast event in Casablanca to unveil LinkAI, a new tool that aims to reshape how brands approach advertising. Far from just another tech launch, the gathering invites marketers, creatives, and media professionals to reflect on the growing concern that most ads today go unnoticed. With a reported 85% of advertisements failing to capture enough attention, LinkAI offers a fresh path forward. It predicts how audiences might respond to an ad, not after it airs, but well before. The technology scans every frame of a video, detects drops in focus, emotional disconnects, and even signs of viewer fatigue. It also reads deeper cues like narrative tension and micro facial expressions to gauge potential impact. Unlike traditional testing, LinkAI supports finalized videos and early-stage animatics. This gives creative teams a chance to course-correct long before production wraps. Rooted in neuroscience and AI, the tool helps brands reduce the guesswork and build campaigns with stronger emotional and commercial traction. Already deployed in over 70 countries and backed by data from more than 230,000 ads, LinkAI lets marketers place their content in a global context. It can assess how well an ad might perform based on format, culture, and sector. Attendees will see the tool in action through live tests on both Moroccan and international ads. Tags: adsads AIAILinkAIMorocco AI
Morocco World
3 hours ago
- Morocco World
King Mohammed VI, Trump to Announce Major Boeing Aircraft Purchase Deal
Rabat — Royal Air Maroc (RAM) is expected to renew its fleet through a new deal with Boeing, as well as a new small order from Airbus. Reuters quoted industry sources as saying that Royal Air Maroc is close to securing a deal with Boeing for dozens of jets. Europe's Airbus, however, is also seeking to supply the Moroccan carrier with a small order for 20 A220 jets. 'The sources asked not to be named because the negotiations are not public,' Reuters reported , noting that talks have been ongoing for over a year to enable Royal Air Maroc to renew its virtually all-Boeing fleet. The company is expected to cling to its traditional supplier for its demands, including the 737 MAX and 787 Dreamliner. 'While the fleet plan reinforces the carrier's historic ties with Boeing, the sources said, it opens the door to Airbus for the first time in almost 25 years with an order for the A220,' the news outlet said. It also recalled that the potential order from Airbus comes as Morocco and France are boosting bilateral ties at all levels. These ties have been building rapidly ever since France's historic decision to recognize Morocco's sovereignty over its southern provinces in Western Sahara in July of last year. Reuters' report came a few days after Bloomberg announced the same news, noting that Royal Air Maroc is in the final stages of a significant aircraft deal with Boeing, alongside a smaller agreement with Airbus. Bloomberg cited sources familiar with the matter, noting that the Boeing order could be delayed, potentially pending a high-level meeting between King Mohammed VI and US President Donald Trump. If confirmed, the high-level meeting could further upgrade the already strengthening ties between the US and Morocco, particularly as Washington has recently reaffirmed its steadfast support for Morocco's territorial integrity, especially over the southern provinces in Western Sahara. Earlier this month, Minister of Transport and Logistics Abdessamad Kayouh said in a parliamentary session on June 3 that Royal Air Maroc plans to acquire 10 more aircraft before the end of the year and another 10 in 2026. He said that the company also welcomed three Boeing 787 Dreamliners during the first week of June, on top of two new planes delivered earlier this year. In 2023, Royal Air Maroc announced that it is seeking to increase its fleet of commercial aircraft, boosting the number from 50 to 200 over the next 15 years. The program is part of the government's pledges to support the tourism roadmap. Morocco's ambition is to attract 65 million tourists by 2037. In 2024, the North African country celebrated a major milestone, welcoming over 17.4 million tourists. Tags: Royal Air Maroc (RAM)Royal Air Maroc Best Airline in Africa
Ya Biladi
3 hours ago
- Ya Biladi
China's Tinci signs investment agreement with Morocco, eyes $280 million electrolyte project
Chinese chemical manufacturer Tinci Materials Technology has signed an investment agreement with the Moroccan government, according to a Reuters notice on Wednesday, June 11. The company plans to invest approximately $280 million in an electrolyte project in Morocco, the same notice states. This is not the first time the investment has been mentioned. In 2023, Tinci announced plans to build a $280 million factory in Morocco to serve the European lithium-ion battery market. At that time, the company highlighted Morocco's abundant phosphate mineral resources as essential for its battery production.
