France’s Alstom to build second rail plant in Morocco

Alstom announced on Thursday that it would build its second production plant in Morocco to manufacture driving carriages for regional and underground trains as the French manufacturing firm expands its network across the North African country.

The company plans to invest 160 million Moroccan dirham ($16.1 million) in the plant and create 200 jobs over the next three years, the company said in a statement. Alstom added that the second factory was "in line with the group's desire to develop the rail ecosystem in the Kingdom and to strengthen local rail expertise."

The new facility will join Alstom’s second in the Moroccan city of Fez, said the company’s director for the Middle East, North Africa and Turkey, Mama Sougoufara.

The first production unit, which manufactures and assembles electric cables and distribution boards, was inaugurated in Fez in October 2020. The plant, which employs 850 people, is in the Ex-COTEF industrial zone of Fez.

Alstom has been present in Morocco for nearly 100 years and has made tramway vehicles for Rabat and Casablanca as well as high-speed trains that operate between Casablanca and Tangier.

For the 2021/22 financial year, Alstom made a profit of €268 million ($300 million), a 9% increase compared with the previous year amid a strong order backlog for the company’s products.

Al-Monitor has contacted the company for comment.