ArcelorMittal provides rails and fences to Africa’s first high-speed rail line
Inaugurated on 15 November 2018, the Kenitra-Tangier line is the first high-speed line in Morocco. Its main objective is to link the biggest town of the country, Casablanca, to Tangier. This is the first stage of a project to create up to 1500 kms of new railway lines in Morocco. ArcelorMittal is proud to contribute to this high-level project with the participation of ArcelorMittal Europe – Long Products Rails & Special Sections, who provided rails, and WireSolutions, who provided fences.
Sole rails supplier for the Kenitra-Tangier line
ArcelorMittal is the sole rails supplier for the first phase of this project and provided 46 000 tonnes of rails produced by ArcelorMittal España at the Veriña site. We were able to offer the customer rails that combine excellent reliability, geometrical precision, strict flatness tolerance, and the highest quality on the market. Our 60E1 R260Mn rails measuring 36 metres long have a lower wear than our R260 standard grade. They also fulfil all of the requirements for high-speed railways:
- Safety
- Comfort
- Durability and cost efficiency
- Minimum acoustic impact
- Service
- Environmentally-friendly
Fences from Bissen on the north part of the line
The Moroccan rail operator ONCF*, via the local provider/installer Menasteel Industry, has entrusted the supply of WireSolutions’ high security fencing Atak®, produced in our plant in Bissen, Luxembourg. Our fences were installed along the north part of the line. This represents 50% in terms of volume (of the north part of the line) and 146 kms of fences. This is the first entry into the public market in Morocco for Bissen and a good opportunity to become an important player on the North African market.
Kenitra-Tangier in only 47 minutes
The line between Casablanca and Tangier is the first step in ONCF’s project to create 1500 kms of railways in Morocco. It will significantly reduce travel time from Casablanca to Tangier from 4 hours 45 minutes to around 2 hours. The 200-km track between Kenitra and Tangier is linked to the existent rail line between Kenitra and Casablanca. With trains running at a speed of 320 km/h, it is now possible to travel from Kenitra to Tangier in only 47 minutes.
In the future, the line will be extended to the south through Marrakesh to Agadir, and another line is planned from Rabat through Fez to Oujda.
*ONCF (Office National des Chemins de Fer du Maroc)
Text: ArcelorMittal Europe
Photos: ArcelorMittal, A. & I. Kruk, Ariya J., Shutterstock