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.
