S.Korea promotes export of $3.8 bn railcars to Morocco

The South Korean government is promoting exporting Korean-style railway cars (K-rail), including high-speed trains worth $3.8 billion, to Morocco.

The South Korean Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport announced on Friday that Minister Park Sang-woo had visited Morocco the previous day to support the export of K-rail.

Minister Park, who had visited Panama as a Presidential envoy until the previous Tuesday, moved on to Morocco and met with Mohamed Abdeljalil, the Moroccan Minister of Transport & Logistics, and Mohamed Rabie Khlie, the Moroccan Director General of the National Railways Office (ONCF).

Minister Park discussed ways to strengthen rail cooperation between the two countries and requested to collaborate with South Korean companies to participate in Morocco's railway vehicle procurement project.

Morocco became the first country in Africa to open a high-speed railway in Nov. 2018.

Ahead of the 2030 FIFA World Cup, which it will co-host with Spain and Portugal, Morocco is promoting a project to purchase 904 railway cars (including high-speed and semi-high-speed trains) worth $3.8 billion to ensure stable passenger transportation.

The bidding deadline for the vehicle purchase project is July 9.

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport stated that the government is stepping in to support South Korean companies in a bid, as they are relatively disadvantaged compared to other competing countries.

According to the ministry, the companies participating in this bid include CAF and Talgo of Spain, co-hosting the 2030 World Cup, France's Alstom, which manufactured Morocco's existing high-speed trains, and China's state-owned railway company CRRC Corp. Ltd.

Write to Hyung-Kyu Kim at khk@hankyung.com