Morocco: South Korea's Rotem to Build New Train Factory

Morocco has commissioned South Korea's Hyundai Rotem – a subsidiary of the Hyundai Motor Group specializing in railway equipment, defense products, and industrial machinery – to construct a train manufacturing plant in the country. The core mission of the new factory is to produce 48 electric trains with a maximum speed of 160 km/h, supporting Morocco's $2.2 billion railway modernization program. This program will also add 260 new tracks, 50 large-scale structures, two technical centers, five workshops, and a station building capable of handling 12 million passengers annually. It will not only improve urban mobility efficiency but also create thousands of jobs.

From a long-term perspective, in addition to meeting the needs of the domestic railway network, the new factory aims to position Morocco as a regional hub for train exports. Currently, Morocco is intensively investing in infrastructure modernization to prepare for events such as the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations and the 2030 World Cup (co-hosted with Spain and Portugal). Relevant projects include expanding the railway network, scaling up the national train fleet, constructing two deep-water ports, and developing 12 desalination plants.

Notably, Morocco has taken frequent actions to upgrade its railways: in April 2025, it approved a 10-year, $10.6 billion railway plan, which includes the Marrakech-Kenitra high-speed line supported by Alstom (costing $5.3 billion with a designed speed of 350 km/h). Prior to this, it also signed a contract with Hyundai Rotem to purchase 110 double-decker trains (valued at $1.54 billion) and ordered 30 high-speed units from CAF (valued at $630 million), enhancing efficiency and competitiveness through diversifying supplier choices.