OUDJA, MOROCCO, June 20 (BERNAMA-NNN-MAP) — The railway line linking this city in eastern Morocco on the border with Algeria to Fez about 300 km to the west will be improved with various projects.
The projects were launched Wednesday by King Mohammed VI aimed at providing this major transportation axis with modern infrastructure to enable it to accommodate the substantial flow of traffic in the best conditions of safety and comfort.
The projects, which are a part of the 2010-2015 contracted programme signed between the Moroccan government and the Office of the National Railway (ONCF), involve the upgrading and electrification of the Fez-Oujda railway line and the construction of a multimodal transportation terminal, the second phase of the mega urban renewal project, Oujda Urba Pole.
The Fez-Oujda railway line upgrading and electrification project consists of the renewal of 100 km of track (30 per cent of the Fez-Oujda line), electrification of the Fez-Taza line covering 120 Km, strengthening infrastructure (tunnels, bridges, technical buildings), and setting up of sub-stations.
The 900 million dirham (about US$107 million) project is expected to generate about 800,000 days of work during the construction phase and more than 70 jobs during the operation phase. The 260 million dirham terminal is part of the implementation of the Oujda Urba Pole project, the first phase of which was launched by the king in 2010.
The project provides for the construction of a new-generation passenger terminal, which can accommodate an estimated traffic of 1.5 million passengers by 2020 against 800,000 currently.
The Oujda Urba Pole project is part of the restructuring of the city of Oujda to provide the city with an integrated urban project, which could herald a new high quality urban dynamic.
— BERNAMA-NNN-MAP
