4 companies vie for Morocco high-speed railway track contract
By Majda Muhsen
Morocco's national railway operator ONCF has opened financial bids for a contract to supply railway tracks for the Kenitra-Marrakech high-speed rail project and upgrades to the conventional line linking Kenitra, Rabat, Casablanca and Marrakech, local Arabic news website Telexpresse reported on Monday.
JSW Steel Italy Piombino submitted the lowest bid at around 179.96 million Moroccan dirhams ($19.3 million) while Saarstahl Rails SAS (Germany) submitted the highest bid of approximately MAD 211.96 million ($22.73 million), according to the report.
The second and third lowest bidders included Jindal Steel (India), and China Railway Material Group Hong Kong & Macau Co (China), respectively, but the Telexpresse report didn’t disclose the bid amounts.
A total of six international companies had prequalified to bid for the tender. Two Chinese companies - China Railway Materials Track and China Railway Shanhaiguan Bridge - were eliminated during the technical stage.
The Telexpresse report said the contract estimated value was pegged at more than MAD 151 million ($16.2 million).
According to the report, JSW Steel Italy Piombino previously secured a contract worth around MAD 653 million in December 2024 to supply railway tracks for the Kenitra-Marrakech high-speed rail project.
China Railway Material Group Hong Kong & Macau also has previous experience with the project, having won a contract worth approximately MAD 489 million in April 2025 to supply rails for the high-speed line in partnership with Angang Steel Company.
Germany's Saarstahl Rails SAS supplied rails for Morocco's conventional railway network under a 2022 contract, while India's Jindal Steel is participating in an ONCF rail supply tender for the first time, the report said.
The bids remain subject to further evaluation before ONCF makes a final contract award.
(1 US dollar = 9.33 Moroccan dirhams)
(Writing by Majda Muhsen; Editing by Anoop Menon)
(anoop.menon@lseg.com)
Subscribe to our Projects' PULSE newsletter that brings you trustworthy news, updates and insights on project activities, developments, and partnerships across sectors in the Middle East and Africa.