Country secures $1.5 billion rail deal — here's how it could reshape everyday travel
Morocco has approved a project worth nearly $1.53 billion to install double-decker electric trains across the country.
According to Environment+Energy Leader, Hyundai Rotem will deliver the electric trains to Morocco's national railway operator, ONCF, with nearly 90 percent of the parts being sourced from the company's home of South Korea.
In an interview with The Korea Times, Moroccan ambassador to South Korea Chafik Rachadi said the deal will set Morocco apart as a global leader in utilizing renewable energy.
Electric trains will allow urban and suburban areas to have functional public transportation that does not rely on dirty energy, allowing for travel that is both efficient and green. Morocco's growing investment in solar and wind power further amplifies the environmental upside of this shift.
Other cities around the world, such as Boston, have also implemented this technology. In addition to saving on diesel fuel, trains have proved to be an effective method of transport — both on the environmental and individual level.
"Companies are increasingly recognizing Morocco's strategic advantages, and the recent $1.5 billion contract between Hyundai Rotem and the Moroccan national railway operator is a testament to the country's attractiveness as an investment destination," said Rachadi.
"As a strategic gateway to Africa, Morocco stands out as a leader in sustainable development, renewable energy and innovation," Rachadi said, emphasizing both the political and environmental impacts this new deal will have for Morocco.
With construction already underway and regional momentum building, Morocco's rail renaissance might just be the beginning of something much bigger.
Would having access to a high-speed train change how often you use public transit?
Absolutely
Probably a little
Not much
Not at all
Click your choice to see results and speak your mind.
Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Todra Gorge: A Guide to Morocco's Climbing Mecca
On the southern fringe of the High Atlas is one of Morocco's premier climbing destinations, the Todra Gorge. Climbing has been going on here since the late 1960s, and for the first 30 years, it was the main place to climb in Morocco. In the last decade, a revival has taken place, and climbers are flocking there once again. Yet accurate route information remains notoriously difficult to come by. Parties from all over the world have bolted hundreds of lines over four decades. In many cases, they did not bother recording the details. Although many routes are well-bolted, other opportunities exist for climbers interested in trad or in setting new routes, especially multi-pitch ones. Both sides of the gorge are suitable, so depending on your needs, you can always find a line that's either in the sun or the shade. Often, Moroccan souvenir sellers crowd the base of the cliffs, which sometimes turns into a weird adventure. It's not always easy to reach the start of a climb without being convinced to buy something ridiculous. Many sport routes in the gorge are over 30m long, so it is worth having a 70m rope. For multi-pitch climbing, we'd suggest a half rope of 60m or even longer if you want to be sure you have enough for every situation. One advantage of climbing in Todra is the incredible lack of mosquitoes, ticks, spiders, or other intrusive bugs. However, note that there is no mountain rescue service in Morocco, so be even more careful than usual in choosing the right path to the walls. As we previously pointed out, the Todra Gorge in Morocco is particularly good for multi-pitch climbing. There are a few single-pitch bolted routes, too. We suggest two crags in particular. Plage Mansour is located right at the entrance to the gorge and offers almost 30 routes, mostly between 5a and 6b. Many pitches on this crag are over 30m, and a few are even 48-50m. Vertical and slab climbing dominate, and the bolting is good. In the morning, Plage Mansour gets the sun until 2 or 3 pm, when it slips into shadow. Petite Gorge is the other unmissable crag in Todra Gorge. This section lies about five kilometers from the entrance and can be reached either by car or on foot. Like Plage Mansour, the crag basks in the sun until afternoon. Berbertraum is a 340m route leading to the top of Aiguille des Palmeraies. Its 13 pitches range between 4a and 5c, and the longest is 45m. A trail between the rocks leads down from the top, or you can rappel. The route is exposed to the sun until late afternoon, when shadows begin to creep across the upper pitches. Smoufond is a 6a+ route that leads to the top of Pieds Dans l'Eau after about 150m. To get to the bottom of the wall, you have to cross a river -- a strange obstacle. After the climb, there are two rappels, of 45m and 60m. Another route that starts by the water is Vole de Defile, which leads to the top of Aguille du Gue. It is four pitches long and graded 6a, V+, V+, and III. There is also another route nearby, called La Diedre, which is partially bolted. Because La Diedre and Vole de Defile are so close to each other, you can connect them and climb to the top with an easier variant, avoiding the Grade 6 pitches on both routes. Marrakech is the nearest international airport, and daily flights are available from throughout Europe. At the airport, you can exchange euros for Moroccan dirhams. It is still largely a cash economy, and you can only use credit cards in places like supermarkets. You can also buy a SIM card at the airport, although you would not use it much in the Todra Gorge, which has no cell coverage. It takes about seven hours to drive from Marrakesh to the Todra Gorge, so we suggest spending the first and last nights in the city. There is also an airport in Ouarzazate, but flights are available only from April through the summer. From Ouarzazate to the Todra Gorge takes about two hours by car. Or you can catch a bus from Marrakech to the town of Tinghir. From there, take a taxi 15km to Todra. You don't need a car in the gorge itself, since most areas are just minutes by foot from the entrance. Tisgui, the closest village to the gorge, has many small hotels and hostels; for example, Etoile des Gorges. Hotel Yasmina is located right in the heart of the climbing, within easy walking distance of most areas. Hotel Mansour and Hotel La Vallee are popular options at the entrance of the gorge. For those seeking a little more luxury, the Kasbah Lamrani in Tinghir is highly recommended.
New York Post
11 hours ago
- New York Post
Fresh flights send New Yorkers running for Italy's high heel
This month, Italian startup carrier Neos launched the first ever nonstop direct flights from America to the country's buzziest region, Puglia. The JFK to Bari route will operate once weekly through Oct. 15, with prices starting from $1,000 for standard economy seating and an upgraded Premium Relax cabin for around $400 more. The outbound flight is on Tuesday, with the return from Bari every Wednesday over that window. 5 Fly direct from JFK with Neos. Michela Celi Even better, there's a stylish and roomy new lounge at Bari airport so you can wait for that return in style. The region's been on the rise for a decade or more, but local experts say the Dolce & Gabbana show, which took place on a makeshift runway winding through the fairytale-like cottages, known as trulli, in Alberobello two years ago turbocharged curiosity. 'We saw a 120% increase in booking from US clients from the region for 2024, after that,' said Ben Julius, who runs Tourist Italy. 'And we already see a 50% increase on that for 2025.' Still, you won't have to worry about over-tourism issues as you might in Venice peak season or, certainly, in Rome during this Jubilee Year. Puglia's at its Goldilocks stage, right now, per Stellavision Travel's Zoe Shapiro, it's just right. 'The region is definitely in that incredible moment where there are wonderful hospitality options to be had but it's not over-explored yet.' 5 Puglia's OG boutique retreat, Masseria Trapana, is newly refreshed. Handout Thankfully, there's already a raft of superb hotels on tap. Pick of them is the chic makeover of the nine-room Masseria Trapana, run by expat Aussie Rob Potter-Saunders, who was a visionary when he opened a decade ago. La Fiermontina in central Lecce is a cluster of three properties, owned by a pair of wealthy Moroccan-Italian siblings. Book one of the four rooms they've installed in the museum they operate in tribute to their grandmother, a famous artists' muse born nearby. 5 Park at palace perches like La Fiermontina Palazzo Bozzi Corso in Lecce. La Fiermontina New this year: the buyout-only 10-bedroom mansion house Casina Cinquepozzi, in the tiny village of Putignano, best known in Italy for its carnival celebrations. Nigerian jewelry designer Thelma West and her Neopolitan husband, Stefano Liotta, bought it to turn it into a stylish retreat for creatives. Otherwise, check out Trulli e Puglia, said Embark Beyond's Jack Ezon. 'Mimmo Patrizio Palmisano is the mayor of Alberobello, and a great guy who will invite you to his home,' he raved. 5 Enjoy a swish stay at Casina Cinquepozzi, Handout Don't miss the chance for a candelit meal in Grotta Palazzese on the waterfront in Polignano a Mare — not for the food, but for the setting, in dramatic grottos carved out from the cliffs there. The menu's more impressive at the Michelin-nodded Meraviglioso nearby — try some of the assorted pesce crudo. Wine lovers should make sure not to miss the 20-seater My Wine in Monopoli, where host-owner Gianni de Bellis offers advice and an encyclopedic selection. Olive groves abound here, too, of course and to see a farm dating back to the Roman era, complete with forests of hundred-plus-year old trees at Antica Masseria Brancati. Most of the action in Puglia, especially noteworthy hotels, is centered on the Adriatic stretch between the cities of Brindisi and Bari, but if you want to lounge on a top tier beach, you'll need to head over to the other, Ionian Coast, where the sandy spits are far more appealing. Campomarino is a standout, or head over to Tarento for boat trips to spot the Ionian dolphin in the northern reaches of the namesake sea, year-round. 5 The coveted Mathraki Beach on the Ionian coast. Dionisio Iemma – Several companies offer a quirky way to roam the back roads: classic cars. Puglia Auto Classica will rent you the likes of a Lancia Flaminia complete with the original red seats, while the aptly named 500 Journeys just launched a fleet of meticulously restored Fiat 500s. Antonello Losito, who runs Puglia-based Southern Visions has two must-see spots he suggests on any country adventure. Go to the Giardini Pistoia, a country estate that only recently opened to the public — there are concerts there during summertime, and a superb organic shop which sells the manse's own wines. Likewise, he recommends a detour to the Le Constantine Foundation which preserves and champions the skills — long synonymous with Puglia. 'The art of weaving is kept alive here,' he said, noting that the artisans' onsite shop sells everything from handwovens tablecloths or towels to wall hangings, scarves and shawls. Ezon adds another insider spot for handcrafted souvenirs: Barbara Sperti, a custom shirtmaker based in Putignano: 'It's worth a half-day detour with dinner in one of the great restaurants there,' he said. 'And her shirts are a bargain — totally made to measure at [approximately] $170.'
San Francisco Chronicle
2 days ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
The Ferry Building just got a new seafood spot from a treasured S.F. restaurant
A much-anticipated seafood market and restaurant from San Francisco's famed Nopa has quietly opened. On Tuesday morning, the glass case at Nopa Fish at San Francisco's Ferry Building was stocked with pristine, almost exclusively California seafood: Miyagi oysters from Tomales Bay, Monterey Bay squid, San Francisco halibut, even bluefin tuna caught near the Channel Islands off the coast of Southern California. Curious customers ogled the fish case and ordered from the casual, seafood-centric menu created by chef-owner Laurence Jossel, who opened Nopa Fish with partner Holly Rhodes and fishmonger Joe Conte, long a seafood supplier to the city's top restaurants through his now-shuttered business Water2Table. Even in locavore-obsessed San Francisco, it's rare, Conte said, to have a seafood market so intensely focused on local rather than conventional seafood. It's more expensive and takes more work, like meeting small hook-and-line fishermen unloading at the docks at midnight. Customers can buy fish by the pound, or sample it in dishes like shrimp arancini ($12), fried rockfish sandwich ($19) and a Bay shrimp and egg salad sandwich ($16). Jossel wanted to create unconventional twists on traditional seafood staples, like adding Moroccan flavors to fish and chips ($24). The wild local rockfish gets ras el hanout seasoning in the batter mix and is served with harissa-spiked aioli and cumin-spiced fries. Here, a classic tuna melt is made with wild albacore cold-smoked in house and served like a Reuben with Russian dressing and sauerkraut ($18). Jossel convinced Acme Bread, a neighboring Ferry Building tenant, to develop Japanese milk bread whose texture is 'like biting through a cloud,' he said. Slices are used for the shrimp-egg salad sandwich (served open face with dill pickles), while the rockfish sandwich comes on a milk bread hot dog bun (more compact for on-the-go eating, Jossel said). The priciest dish on the menu is a chirashi bowl ($25), with an ever-changing selection of whatever is best in the fish case — on Tuesday, kanpachi, halibut and tuna — served over single origin Luna Koshihikari rice grown in the Sacramento Valley. It's topped with market greens, ginger, pickled green beans, avocado and a jammy sous-vide egg. Several Nopa hits made their way over to the new business, including hand-cut fries and latkes, the latter topped with house-smoked McFarland Springs trout. Eventually, a grab-and-go fridge will be stocked with salads and pints of Nopa's popular beet hummus. Nopa Fish is casual, built for quick meals for lunchtime workers and commuters. Diners order at a counter and can sit at two long wooden communal tables. A fridge is filled with beer, wine, cider and nonalcoholic drinks. Oceanic touches decorate the space, including 100 ceramic fish made by Jossel and Rhodes' 16-year-old daughter hanging on the walls; seafood cookbooks on shelves; and a counter covered with deep-blue tiles handmade by Outer Sunset artist Georgia Hodges. The restaurant will be initially open through this Friday, June 13, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., as well as Monday, June 16, and start regular service June 17. Michele Meany, a broker for the Ferry Building, became a fan of Water2Table's home deliveries during the pandemic, and pestered Conte to take over the former San Francisco Fish Company space at the landmark until he agreed. He eventually sought out Jossel, whom he had known for years from work in the restaurant industry, as a chef-partner. (Water2Table also briefly operated Mission District seafood restaurant Ancora.) Conte brings decades of fishermen connections; on Tuesday, he was gearing up for a fresh catch of rock cod, petrale and sand dabs from Mr. Morgan, a fishing vessel out of Half Moon Bay. Nopa Fish marks the latest notable arrival at the Ferry Building, which continues to evolve post-pandemic with closures, such as the upcoming departure of Grande Crêperie, and a flurry of new tenants, including forthcoming bakery Parachute and restaurant Arquet from the team behind San Francisco's Michelin-starred Sorrel.
