Casablanca’s transport authority has awarded the operating and maintenance contract for the city’s first tramway line to a consortium led by RATP Dev.
The line, which is 30.5km long and will have 48 stops, is scheduled to start service by the end of the year.
On July 13, Casa Transports awarded the contract to the consortium led by RATP Dev alongside Caisse de Dépôt et de Gestion du Maroc and Transinvest.
The line will connect the east and south-west areas of the Moroccan city via the city centre.
Passenger numbers on the line are expected to rise to 255,000 people per day by 2015.
Line operation and maintenance as well as the preparatory phase, which will include the recruitment and training of nearly 670 employees, technical trials and dry runs, will be ensured by an operating company established by the consortium.
The contract will be worth €70 million over five years and a further optional €20 million if RATP Dev is also entrusted with maintaining the rolling stock.
RATP Dev executive board chairman Jean-Marc Janaillac said: “This contract allows RATP Dev to continue its expansion in North Africa only a few weeks after securing the contract to operate the tramways in Algiers, Oran and Constantine.”
The RATP group is the fifth largest urban transport operator worldwide, with 12 million passengers daily worldwide.
