Spain is making a strategic move to secure a lucrative contract for supplying trains to Morocco's developing rail network, following its loss of a high-speed train deal to France. The Spanish government has approved a significant loan of approximately 7.8 billion dirhams (over 750 million euros) to facilitate this endeavor, contingent upon several tenders being awarded to the Spanish company CAF by Morocco's National Office of Railways (ONCF). Spanish media reports reveal that this loan was sanctioned by the Spanish Council of Ministers on Tuesday. The official statement specifies that «a loan, repayable on concessional terms to be determined by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OCDE), financed by the Fund for the Internationalization of Enterprises (FIEM), is granted to the Moroccan National Railway Office (ONCF) and the Moroccan Ministry of Economy and Finance, to finance the project for the supply of up to 40 intercity trains worth up to €754,302,566». The ONCF appears poised to favor the Basque company CAF for the contract, as several batches involving intercity trains, RER-TNR trains, and RER-Métropolitain trains are still pending award. This initiative follows Morocco's decision in the initial phase of awarding the 150-train contract to exclude offers from Spain's Talgo, France's Alstom, and China's CRRC Zhuzhou Locomotive Co. Remaining contenders include Spain's CAF and South Korea's Hyundai Rotem. The comprehensive deal encompasses 168 trains, including intercity, suburban high-speed, and regional network high-speed trains, alongside 18 high-speed trains, totaling around 1.8 billion euros. During a July meeting with Moroccan Minister of Industry and Trade Riad Mazour, Hyundai Rotem CEO Lee Young-bae expressed the company's plans to establish a train manufacturing plant in Morocco and transfer technology to the kingdom. French manufacturer Alstom, tasked with supplying 18 high-speed trains—one of the four batches in the ONR contract—is no longer in contention for the remaining three batches, which include the supply of 40 intercity trains, 60 suburban high-speed trains (TNR), and 50 trains for the Regional Express Network (RER). Beyond train supply, the ONCF contract mandates additional requirements. Winning manufacturers will enter into 20-year maintenance agreements and must meet a specified local integration percentage relative to the number of trains they manage. ONCF plans to issue a formal invitation for final bids from selected manufacturers within a month after finalizing specifications.
