- Chinese firm, China Overseas Engineering Corporation (COVEC), wins contract for high-speed railway modernization in Morocco
- Contract of high-speed rail project aims for connectivity between Kenitra city with Marrakech city of Morocco,
- COVEC’s is now the fourth Chinese company involved in the civil engineering phase of the high-speed line (LGV) Kenitra-Marrakech project
By: Muhammad Arif, Editor NSN.Asia
Rabat: Chinese firm, China Overseas Engineering Corporation (COVEC) has won the latest contract for the modernization of high-speed rail project, connecting Kenitra city with Marrakech in by the Morocco, according to sources of National Railways Office.
ONCF is a national railway operator of Morocco with mission is to ensure the rail transport of passengers and goods in the best conditions of safety, safety, comfort, regularity, and sustainable development.
China is expanding cooperation with many countries of Africa for their initiatives focusing on increasing transport capacity, and connectivity through railway trains.
The contract of railway connectivity project valued at MAD 1.34 billion, covers extensive civil works along the classic rail line in Casablanca, including earthworks, engineering structures, communications restoration, and fencing.
Chinese firm China Overseas Engineering Corporation, COVEC’s bid was the most cost-effective, undercutting the original estimate of MAD 1.44 billion and significantly lower than the MAD 1.72 billion bid submitted by the French consortium NGE Contracting/Guintoli, according to local media reports.
COVEC’s is now the fourth Chinese company involved in the civil engineering phase of the high-speed line (LGV) Kenitra-Marrakech project. Previous contracts on dedicated LGV sections were awarded to other major Chinese firms, including CRCC 20 (MAD 2.83 billion), China Railway No.04 Engineering (MAD 3.4 billion), and Shandong Hi-Speed Engineering-Construction (MAD 4.5 billion).
Additional contracts were awarded to GTR, a subsidiary of French Colas (MAD 2.2 billion), and Moroccan companies TGCC (MAD 2.83 billion), Jet Contractors (MAD 2 billion), and Mojazine Group (MAD 1.97 billion).
According to sources of National Railways Office, two more contracts remain open for bidding. This includes the eighth lot, focusing on viaduct construction, and the ninth lot, which will involve constructing a viaduct over the Oued Bouregreg River.
In addition to the Kenitra-Marrakech high-speech line, the project also includes connections to existing railways, upgrades to stations, modernization of the Kenitra-Rabat-Casablanca-Marrakech line, terminal facilities, and maintenance bases, as well as a specialized maintenance workshop for the high-speed trains.
The LGV route itself will extend from the Kenitra maintenance base to the northern end of the Rabat tunnel, then between Ain Atiq and Zenata, and finally from Zenata to Marrakech, connecting with a new transport hub in Nouaceur.
The new high-speed rail project is highly anticipated due to its promise of increased efficiency and convenience. With travel times set to be significantly reduced, journeys such as the one from Kenitra to Marrakech will be completed in just three hours. This will make the rail system a more attractive option for both daily commutes and long-distance trips.
Earlier, a Chinese company “China Railway No.4 Engineering” secured the contract for the civil engineering works of Morocco’s high-speed rail project.
The contract covers the first phase of expanding the high-speed rail line between Kenitra and Marrakech, costing 3.4 Bln MAD.
This Chinese firm outbid seven other competitors as all proposed higher costs than the 3.72 Bln MAD budget set by Morocco’s railway office (ONCF).
The project includes a new high-speed rail line, modern stations, and connections to the current network, enhancing the classic line.
Maintenance and operational facilities are also part of the planned improvements, making this a comprehensive rail infrastructure upgrade.
Office National des Chemins de Fer or Moroccan National Railways Office) is a national railway operator of Morocco. ONCF is a state-owned company responsible for building and maintaining the rail infrastructure and national railway network of 3,600 km.
The network has a north–south track from Tangier via Rabat and Casablanca to Marrakech. This line connects all major cities along or close to the Atlantic coast. In September 2012, ONCF started upgrading the Casablanca-Kenitra main line to improve capacity.
China Overseas Engineering Group Co., Ltd. is a construction company based in Beijing, capital of China.
COVEC a is fully-funded subsidiary of China Railway Group Limited (CREC) ranking in Fortune Global Top 500 enterprise. The company possesses outstanding capability and capacity in international project contracting, China’s foreign aid projects, overseas industrial investment, labor services and international trade.
COVEC has developed into a well-known international contractor brand especially in Africa, South Pacific, and Southeast Asia. COVEC has undertaken and executed more than 1,000 large and medium sized overseas projects with the total contract value of 5.8 billion US dollars and the accumulated turnover of 3.5 billion US dollars, carried out international trade of 1 billion US dollars, and rendered more than 50,000 personnel for overseas labor services.
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