Morocco’s Railway Office (ONCF) and the German National Railway Company, Deutsche Bahn (DB), inked an agreement in Berlin on Tuesday to deepen their cooperation in numerous sectors of rail transport.
The agreement, signed by ONCF Director General Mohamed Rabie Khlie and DB Director of International Affairs Niko Warbanoff, strives to develop the network by improving the performance and capacity of Moroccan railway infrastructure. Renewals and upgrades will constitute the bulk of the work to be done; however, construction of new lines for urban, regional, and long-distance transport–including high-speed rail transport–will also ensue.
This accord also intends to develop the aforementioned infrastructural measures as sustainable and ecologically friendly transportation options, by supporting a long-term, visionary commitment to rail travel in order to minimize CO2 emissions, with simultaneous adherence to international environmental regulations. It also includes network development, rolling stock availability and reliability, digitization and digital transformation, with prioritization of preserving cultural and architectural heritage in and around stations, and the improvement of the management system.
The agreement was signed in the presence of Minister of Transport and Logistics, Mohamed Abdeljalil, and German Federal Minister for Digital and Transport, Volker Wissing, on the heels of a mobility workshop co-organized by the ministries of both countries.
As such, the two companies wish to develop a joint partnership as part of the implementation of the MoU signed between the Ministry of Digital and Transport of the Federal Republic of Germany and the Ministry of Transport and Logistics of the Kingdom of Morocco.