China Railway Materials Group Southwest, a subsidiary of the Chinese state-owned enterprise China Railway Materials (CRM) specializing in railway materials trading and procurement, announced on Tuesday, September 29, that it has selected the proposal from Tangshan Lutong Bridge Formwork, a manufacturer of construction formwork based in Tangshan, Hebei. This selection is for the supply of approximately 60 tons of metal formwork intended for the hollow piles of the Kénitra-Marrakech high-speed rail line. The winning bid was priced at 423,520 yuan.
When calculated per ton, this translates to just over 7,000 yuan, equating to around 550,000 dirhams for the entire lot. The consultation documents stipulate a dual compliance with both Chinese and European standards and require an export certificate of origin, designating the product destination under the title _“Morocco high-speed rail project.”_
The hollow piles are crucial for meeting the demand for formwork on viaduct construction sites: these hollow structures are designed to lighten the overall structure and reduce concrete volume, necessitating reusable metal molds that are assembled and raised in successive lifts, with costs distributed across several supports. The project features fifteen viaducts under construction and 92 rail and road bridges covering its total length of 430 kilometers.
Compliance with Dual Standards
The National Office of Railways (ONCF), the Moroccan public entity responsible for rail transport, is overseeing the project, having entrusted the majority of civil engineering works to Chinese groups. China Railway No 4 Engineering (CREC 4) has secured a section of 63 kilometers for 3.4 billion dirhams, while Shandong Hi-Speed has won a contract for 64 kilometers between Rabat-Agdal and Zenata for four billion dirhams. Additionally, China Gezhouba Group has been awarded the construction of six viaducts. The Moroccan company Travaux généraux de construction de Casablanca (TGCC) received the contract for the 51 kilometers connecting Berrechid to Settat, amounting to 2.8 billion dirhams.
Since 2025, CRM has been listed among the direct suppliers for ONCF. Its Hong Kong and Macao entity, in partnership with the steel manufacturer Angang Steel, has been awarded the contract for supplying rails for the new line, valued at approximately 51.6 million dollars. This contract involves 60 E1 profiles delivered to the port of Casablanca, with the first shipment of 13,000 tons departing from Bayuquan, Liaoning, in mid-November 2025. The selection of a formwork provider from another subsidiary of the same group further extends CRM's presence into construction equipment.
The total investment for the high-speed rail line amounts to 53 billion dirhams in infrastructure and equipment, part of a larger railway program estimated at 96 billion dirhams. King Mohammed VI inaugurated the construction works on April 24, 2025, in Rabat-Agdal, with the line expected to be operational before the 2030 World Cup, which Morocco is co-hosting with Spain and Portugal.
As of spring 2026, ONCF reported that 20 million cubic meters of earthworks had been completed, alongside 2.5 million tons of ballast, 800,000 tons of sleepers, and over 100,000 tons of rails supplied, as well as 220 track switches. By this time, all land acquisitions had been finalized, and the construction of stations was slated to commence before July 2026.
As reported by barlamane.com.
