France will lend Morocco _€_781m (R15.54bn) to finance the purchase of 18 high-speed trains made by [Alstom](https://www.timeslive.co.za/news/2025-01-29-native-working-together-we-can-transform-the-south-african-railway-network-for-the-better/), the French embassy in Rabat said on Friday last week.
The trains are part of a plan to extend the high-speed rail network from Kenitra on the western coast to Marrakech before the 2030 World Cup that Morocco will co-host with Spain and Portugal.
Alstom will supply Moroccan state-owned rail operator ONCF, with Avelia Horizon double-decker trains that can carry 640 passengers with a speed of 320km/h, the embassy said in a statement.
ONCF also aims to expand its network to double the number of cities it serves to 43, or 87% of the Moroccan population, by 2040.
In February, ONCF said it will also buy 150 trains under concessional loans from Spain and South Korea as it expands urban, intercity and high-speed rail networks.
South Korea's Hyundai Rotem will supply 110 urban trains worth $1.5bn (R27.39bn), while Spain's CAF will build 40 intercity trains for $813m R14.84bn).
The deals include investments in the country's nascent rail industry, ONCF said last month.