Morocco launches railway freight car bidding, with two procurement projects open to global competition. A number of domestic enterprises successfully entered the candidate list, competed with local manufacturers in Europe and Türkiye on the same platform, fought for orders relying on mature product technology, and opened the African market with the help of local railway modernization plan.

The bidding list has been released

The Moroccan National Railway Authority has launched two procurement projects for ballast cars and flat cars, with a total budget of 252.7 million dirhams, approximately 25.73 million US dollars. The budget of the ballast hopper car project is 205 million dirhams, and 100 vehicles are purchased with the same number of additional purchase options. Four enterprises from Croatia, Türkiye, China and Slovakia are shortlisted. The flat car project has a budget of 47.7 million dirhams, and 100 vehicles have been purchased. CRRC Meishan, Jiangsu Tedrell Rail Technology, Slovak enterprises and Moroccan local enterprises have been selected. Türkiye enterprises are not eligible for this section. CRRC Meishan and Slovak companies have both been shortlisted for two procurement projects and will participate in competitive dialogue to finalize technical solutions and quotations. Tendering allows for the construction of new or used vehicles, and the evaluation will take into account indicators such as full lifecycle operation and maintenance costs and spare parts supply. Keywords: track equipment going abroad, Moroccan railway procurement

Wide market prospects

This bidding is an important part of the expansion and upgrading of Moroccan railways. The country's railway development plan for 2030 has a total investment of 96 billion dirhams, covering high-speed rail construction, train procurement, existing line upgrades, and continuously releasing the demand for engineering freight truck procurement. This competition showcased the international competitiveness of China's rail equipment, laying the foundation for further in-depth participation in the North African railway infrastructure market and continuing to support practical cooperation in the field of rail transit between China and Africa.Editor/Min Jing