The Casablanca Tramway (
Arabic: طرامواي الدار البيضاءṬrāmwāy ad-Dār al-Bayḍā’) is a
low-floor tram system in
Casablanca, Morocco. As of 2019[update], it consists of two lines - T1 from
Sidi Moumen to
Lissasfa, and T2 from
Sidi Bernoussi to
Aïn Diab—which intersect at 2 points and form a 47 km (29 mi) network with 71 stations. Two additional lines, T3 and T4, are scheduled to open in 2024.[1][2]
History
The Casablanca Tramway is the second modern tram system in Morocco, after the
Rabat–Salé tramway, but is longer and has more stations.
It was first inaugurated by King
Muhammad VI on 12 December 2012. At that time, it consisted of one 31-kilometre (19 mi) Y-shaped line with 48 stops, connecting
Sidi Moumen in the east with
Ain Diab and the Facultés district in the west. The line forked toward Ain Diab and Facultés after Abdelmoumen Station.
A second line was opened on 24 January 2019. It connects
Sidi Bernoussi to Ain Diab, using the segment of the previously existing line from the split to Ain Diab. Line 1 was also extended from Facultés to Lissasfa.[2]
Construction
Project management on the first line was provided by Casablanca Transports en Site Aménagé ("Casa Transports"), a limited company created for the purpose in March 2009. Stakeholders were the Ministry of Finance & the Interior, local government (the
Grand Casablanca regional government, the Casablanca préfecture and Casablanca urban commune), and several institutional investors (
King Hassan II,
CDG Capital,
Banque Populaire du Maroc, and
ONCF). Casa Transports awarded the construction contract to a global group headed by the French group
Systra.
Project support was subcontracted to the Spanish group Ayesa Tecnología.[3]
Preparatory work started in 2009, with the construction of the first line starting in 2010.[4] The line was inaugurated on 12 December 2012 by
King Mohammed VI, with French Prime Minister
Jean-Marc Ayrault in attendance. Commercial services started the next day.[5][6]
The 20 km (12 mi) of Zones 1 and 3 were constructed by
Yapı Merkezi, and the 10 km (6.2 mi) of Zone 2 was constructed by
Colas Rail.
Current network
Line
Terminus
Opening
Length (km)
Stations
Lissasfa ↔ Sidi Moumen
2012
23,5
38
Aïn Diab Plage ↔ Sidi Bernoussi
2019
22,5
33
Gare de Casa-Port ↔ Hay El Wahda
2024
14
20
Parc de la Ligue Arabe ↔ Mohammed Erradi
2024
12,5
19
TOTAL
72,5
110
Line T1
As of 2019[update], Line 1 of the Casablanca Tramway serves 36 stations between termini in Sidi Moumen and Lissasfa.[2] The line is 23.5 km (14.6 mi) long and takes 73 minutes from one terminus to the other.[7] It opened in December 2012 and was extended in January 2019.[2]
Travel time between termini is around 69 minutes from Facultés and 77 minutes from Hay Hassani. With a 75% priority at junctions, the average speed comes close to 19 kilometres per hour (12 mph). On weekdays, the tramway runs from 06:30 to 22:00 at weekends it runs from 06:30 to 23:30. Service averages were planned to be every 4+1⁄2 minutes in peak hours and 8+1⁄2 minutes off-peak.[10]
Casa Transport awarded a five-year contract to operate the tramway to the CasaTram consortium of
RATP Group, Caisse de dépôt et de gestion and Transinvest as partners.[11][12] In January 2016 RATP Group became the sole shareholder.[13]
Following a competitive tender process, RATP Group was awarded a further contract until December 2029 having beaten bids from a
National Express /
ALSA /
ONCF consortium and
Transdev.[14][15][16]
Engie Ineo and Engie Cofely Morocco supplied signaling and other systems for Line 2 as well as an extension of Line 1.[17][18]
Rolling stock
The tramway is operated by 74
Alstom Citadis type 302
low-floor trams, built by Alstom in France.[19][20][21] The final assembly was completed in
Reichshoffen, Alsace. Trams have air conditioning and tinted windows, and an information system in both Arabic and French. They run typically in pairs with a total length of 65 metres (213 ft).[22] A further 50 are to be delivered in 2018 to operate Line T2.[23][24]
Ticket prices are subsidised by the Moroccan government and the city of Casablanca, and set at a
flat rate of 6
dirhams per journey, with a weekly
season ticket at 60 dirhams and a monthly season ticket at 230 dirhams. Fares are paid by a paper
smart card at turnstiles on each station platform.[26] Students get a reduced monthly season ticket of 150 dirhams.[26] A combined tram and bus fare is being considered.[when?]
Usage
In the first month of service, between 40,000 and 45,000 passengers used the service each day, on average.[27] A survey in June 2013 recorded 70,000 commuters.[28] By 2013, the tramway had met its objectives by carrying over 100,000 passengers a day.[29] From 2015, 255,000 passengers a day are expected on Line T1.[28]
Incidents
Tramway operations have resulted in many accidents: in the first 13 months, 180 accidents were reported.[30][31]
On 1 April 2013, a lorry hit a tramcar at full speed. Both the lorry and tram drivers were injured, according to a witness. The impact was so hard that part of the tram was derailed.[32][33]
Two days later on 4 August 2013, a motorcyclist was hit by a tram and died.[34]
On 14 January 2014, a man died after being hit by a tram.[35]
On 24 April 2014, a 26-year-old woman was fatally injured by the tram.[36][37]
On 4 July 2014, a coach owned by a private firm failed to give way to the tram and struck it. Part of the tram was derailed.
On 13 January 2015, a rider who entered the tram platform died after being hit.[38]
On 8 November 2017, two teenagers on a motorcycle were injured after hitting a tram line.
On 26 December 2017, two women were struck crossing the tramway and were injured.
Future
The Schéma directeur d'aménagement urbain (SDAU, "Master plan of the Director of urban planning")[8] and the Plan de déplacement urbain (PDU, "Urban transport plan")[9] for
Greater Casablanca foresee a final network of 4 tramway lines, two traversal (T1, T2) and two radial (T3, T4). These lines will interchange with the now cancelled
Casablanca Metro and the operational
Al Bidaoui suburban railways.[8][9] Casablanca will have a network totalling 76 route km (47+1⁄4 route mi), costing 5.9 billion dirhams.[28]
Lines T3 and T4
Long-term plans in the SDAU[8] and PDU[9] are for new lines T3 (14 km (8.7 mi)) and T4 (13 km (8.1 mi).
^"Casa Tramway". casa-tram.ma/ (in Arabic). Retrieved 21 May 2019.
^
abcdeAllal, Sakrouhi (October 2008).
"Schéma directeur d'aménagement urbain" [Master plan of the Director of Urban Planning] (PDF). Agence urbaine de Casablanca (in French). Archived from
the original(PDF) on 12 July 2018. Retrieved 23 October 2014.
^
abc.Benlahrech, Ryadh (2013). "Le tramway qui facilite le train-train: Spécial Villes" [The tramway which eases commuting]. Jeune Afrique (in French) (4): 68.
ISSN1950-1285.