Morocco - Railway Infrastructure Development Support Project (PADIF) — Morocco

Overview

The Railway Infrastructure Development Support Project (PADIF) is a sovereign transport infrastructure project in Morocco designed to support the implementation of the country’s large-scale railway development programme under the CAP 2030 Strategic Vision / Rail Plan 2040. The project will contribute to the extension and capacity enhancement of the railway corridor between Kenitra and Marrakech, including the Casablanca railway hub, as part of the broader development of the Tangier–Casablanca–Marrakech corridor and metropolitan rail services in major urban areas. The borrower is the Kingdom of Morocco, and the implementing agency is the Office National des Chemins de Fer (ONCF). PADIF primarily finances strategic railway equipment required to strengthen the capacity and operational performance of the network. Its main component covers the supply of new rails, conventional and high-speed railway switches and crossings, rail expansion devices for bridges and viaducts, ballast and sleepers for the Kenitra–Marrakech line and the Casablanca railway hub. A second component covers project management, including project ownership and supervision arrangements and monitoring and evaluation. The project supports a much broader ONCF railway development programme that includes the 430 km Kenitra–Marrakech high-speed rail extension, increased railway capacity in Casablanca, regional and metropolitan rail services, new and modernized stations, fleet renewal and the development of a domestic railway industry. Within that wider programme, the World Bank is providing EUR 308 million for the Casablanca regional rail system, KfW EUR 200 million for the Casablanca regional rail system, and the French Development Agency (AFD) EUR 100 million for the Rabat regional rail system. These are complementary financing arrangements for the broader railway programme and should not be presented as direct co-financing of PADIF itself. The total cost of PADIF itself is estimated at EUR 540.497 million (UA 458.172 million). The African Development Bank will provide a EUR 205 million sovereign project loan (UA 173.776 million), representing 37.93% of the project cost, while the Government of Morocco will contribute EUR 335.497 million, or 62.07%. The implementation period is planned for 2026–2030.