Morocco is planning a high-speed rail project costing 20 billion dirhams, but some argue that the money should be spent on higher-priority needs like education.
By Naoufel Cherkaoui for Magharebia in Rabat – 05/02/10
Morocco's plan to construct a high-speed rail network is drawing mixed reviews, with some legislators and ordinary citizens saying the money is needed to meet other goals.
The project will cut travel times between Tangier and Casablanca from more than five hours to just over two. By 2016, some 8 million passengers per year are expected to use the new line, which is the first step in a master plan aimed at building over 1,500km of new tracks by 2035.
The government is convinced of the need for the project. "Faced with the rapid growth of rail transport, we closely studied the most suitable technology for developing the sector," Transport Minister Karim Ghellab said on Monday (February 1st) in Tangier.
"The study concluded that there would be higher socio-economic productivity for the high-speed technology in comparison with classical railways," Ghellab said at a signing ceremony of the contract for the planned high-speed rail project. "In spite of the former's reasonable additional cost, it's characterized by economic features that greatly exceed the advantages of the latter."
"Work on the high-speed train will kick off next June, while the exploitation of the project will begin in December 2015," the minister added at the ceremony, which was presided over by King Mohammed VI.
The contract signed on Monday between the state and the National Railway Office is for a 20 billion-dirham, 2010-2015 project under a wider government program for social and economic development. The project is to be funded by the state, the Hassan II Fund for Social and Economic Development, and foreign loans. A total of 33 billion dirhams will be invested in developing rail transport as a whole.
Despite the upsides offered by the transport minister, some Moroccans contacted by Magharebia this week said that the huge sums involved should have been allocated to other sectors.
"It's a good thing that Morocco is modernizing," said Lahcen Daoudi, a leader of the Party of Justice and Development. "But I'd like to see the reaction of the poor, who need the most basic necessities for living, when we go to them and say we're going to build a high-speed train for them."
"Morocco has to advance in a comprehensive way, because these classes will feel marginalized if we develop certain things at the expense of others," he added. "Therefore, no region should be developed at the expense of others."
The editor-in-chief of the Tangier daily Fadaa al-Boughaz, Ismail Tahiri, called the high-speed rail project "part of the major projects that are important in and of themselves, given that it will reduce the distances, especially for businessmen, between the economic center that will be created by Tangier on the Mediterranean Sea and Casablanca, which is the economic capital of Morocco. However, these projects strain the state's economy."
"The construction of this project is a form of luxury, given that it will cost 20 billion dirhams," he continued. "These sums should be spent on more vital projects for citizens, such as education, health and infrastructure, now that it's going to be completed using public funds."
"How can such a huge project be carried out in a country where the illiteracy rate is about 30%, and where 2 million students quit school every year; a country that was ranked in 106th out of 128 countries on UNESCO's index of educational development?" he asked.
For his part, Mohammed Hammouchi, vice-president of the Rif Association for Human Rights, said the project "will greatly contribute to citizens' movement. It will boost the movement of domestic and international tourism in the region, and also fill the gaps in regular trains and the rest of the means of transport."
"However, the only negative point is how much the cost of the train took into consideration the purchasing power of citizens, who are already complaining about the high prices of regular trains," he added.
Source: Magharebia.com
Link: http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/features/2010/02/05/feature-03.
By Naoufel Cherkaoui for Magharebia in Rabat – 05/02/10
Morocco's plan to construct a high-speed rail network is drawing mixed reviews, with some legislators and ordinary citizens saying the money is needed to meet other goals.
The project will cut travel times between Tangier and Casablanca from more than five hours to just over two. By 2016, some 8 million passengers per year are expected to use the new line, which is the first step in a master plan aimed at building over 1,500km of new tracks by 2035.
The government is convinced of the need for the project. "Faced with the rapid growth of rail transport, we closely studied the most suitable technology for developing the sector," Transport Minister Karim Ghellab said on Monday (February 1st) in Tangier.
"The study concluded that there would be higher socio-economic productivity for the high-speed technology in comparison with classical railways," Ghellab said at a signing ceremony of the contract for the planned high-speed rail project. "In spite of the former's reasonable additional cost, it's characterized by economic features that greatly exceed the advantages of the latter."
"Work on the high-speed train will kick off next June, while the exploitation of the project will begin in December 2015," the minister added at the ceremony, which was presided over by King Mohammed VI.
The contract signed on Monday between the state and the National Railway Office is for a 20 billion-dirham, 2010-2015 project under a wider government program for social and economic development. The project is to be funded by the state, the Hassan II Fund for Social and Economic Development, and foreign loans. A total of 33 billion dirhams will be invested in developing rail transport as a whole.
Despite the upsides offered by the transport minister, some Moroccans contacted by Magharebia this week said that the huge sums involved should have been allocated to other sectors.
"It's a good thing that Morocco is modernizing," said Lahcen Daoudi, a leader of the Party of Justice and Development. "But I'd like to see the reaction of the poor, who need the most basic necessities for living, when we go to them and say we're going to build a high-speed train for them."
"Morocco has to advance in a comprehensive way, because these classes will feel marginalized if we develop certain things at the expense of others," he added. "Therefore, no region should be developed at the expense of others."
The editor-in-chief of the Tangier daily Fadaa al-Boughaz, Ismail Tahiri, called the high-speed rail project "part of the major projects that are important in and of themselves, given that it will reduce the distances, especially for businessmen, between the economic center that will be created by Tangier on the Mediterranean Sea and Casablanca, which is the economic capital of Morocco. However, these projects strain the state's economy."
"The construction of this project is a form of luxury, given that it will cost 20 billion dirhams," he continued. "These sums should be spent on more vital projects for citizens, such as education, health and infrastructure, now that it's going to be completed using public funds."
"How can such a huge project be carried out in a country where the illiteracy rate is about 30%, and where 2 million students quit school every year; a country that was ranked in 106th out of 128 countries on UNESCO's index of educational development?" he asked.
For his part, Mohammed Hammouchi, vice-president of the Rif Association for Human Rights, said the project "will greatly contribute to citizens' movement. It will boost the movement of domestic and international tourism in the region, and also fill the gaps in regular trains and the rest of the means of transport."
"However, the only negative point is how much the cost of the train took into consideration the purchasing power of citizens, who are already complaining about the high prices of regular trains," he added.
Source: Magharebia.com
Link: http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/features/2010/02/05/feature-03.
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