Marrakech-Agadir High-Speed Line: ONCF Launches the APS Studies

The National Railways Office (ONCF) has just launched, through its purchasing department, this preliminary service at $32.6 million (120 MDH). The overall deadline for completion of studies has been set at 16 months.

Announced during the royal speech of the Green March, on November 6th, 2019, the high-speed line (LGV) that will connect Marrakech to Agadir is at the stage of launching the preliminary design studies (APS). The National Railways Office (ONCF), which is the project owner, has just launched, through its procurement department, this preliminary service to the tune of $32.6 million (120 MDH).

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Overall, the high-speed line program in the form of a rail facility plan (RFP) to be developed includes several components

This estimated cost concerns the realization of the APS studies, on the one hand, of the infrastructure, civil engineering, and railway equipment, and, on the other hand, of the railway operation with its terminal facilities and its operating system necessary for the railroad line between Marrakech and Agadir.

Referring to the tender in question, the overall timeframe for the execution of the studies has been set at 16 months. In other words, the APS studies will be delivered from September 2024, knowing that the contract will be awarded on May 10, 2023, according to the date already set by ONCF for the opening of bids.

According to the special technical specifications (CCTP), the high-speed line must be interoperable within the meaning of the technical specifications of interoperability (TSI) of high speed. This high-speed line will be designed for mixed traffic, both for passengers with a speed of 320 km/h and freight at 100 km/h, when it is commissioned.

Overall, the high-speed line program in the form of a rail facility plan (RFP) to be developed includes several components, including the high-speed line itself, its connections to the existing line, in addition to the remote control station (RCP). In addition to this, there are the facilities of the connections, the existing and future stations as well as the substation (CSS) and the work bases to be created, and the maintenance workshop.

For ONCF, this line must be designed so that its performance and safety level are globally at least equivalent to those offered by the Tangier-Kenitra high-speed line commissioned in 2018

On this last point, the operation of the current high-speed line has demonstrated, according to ONCF, that the tracking technology used so far was well suited to high speed.

In this sense, continuity is planned in this area by meeting the requirements of the European Technical Specifications for Interoperability (TSI). In all, the details of the various services are contained in ten fascicles, starting with the generalities, the review and analysis of the feasibility studies, the APS studies of the general infrastructure and the planned works, and the establishment of the precision polygon.

It is also the APS of the operating system and preliminary studies and the APS of the tunnels and terminal facilities, stations, including that of the second airport of the city of Marrakech planned in Sidi Zouine, in addition to the various junctions and nodes. In addition, the civil engineering safety file and the design of the maintenance workshop.

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(Featured image by hpgruesen via Pixabay)

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