22/05/2012 / MOROCCO
A demonstrator holding up a sign with an anti-TGV message. Photo published on Facebook by Hicham Belkouch.
Anger mounts at €2.5bn bill for Tangiers-Casablanca high-speed rail link
A protester holds up sign against the high-speed rail project during a demonstration on Sunday.
For the past few months, a group called “Stop TGV” has been campaigning against the construction of a high-speed rail link between Tangiers and Casablanca, arguing that “in a poor country like Morocco” such an expensive project is not a priority. On Sunday, opponents of the project in cities across Morocco took to the streets in protest.
The TGV line is expected to link up Casablanca and Tangiers, Morocco’s principal economic centres, by the end of 2015. The aim is to reduce travel time from 4 hours and 45 minutes to 2 hours and 10 minutes. However, since the launch of the project in September 2011, it has been met with heavy criticism from a number of Moroccan organisations, who have joined together to form the “Stop TGV” collective. Their main objection is the cost of the project, which amounts to 25 billion dirhams (around €2.5 billion), which many see as an astronomical amount of money for a country which ranks 130 on the Human Development Index. They also argue that many regions of Morocco aren’t yet served by the standard train network.
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Demonstration in Rabat calling for an end to the high-speed rail project. Photo published on Facebook by Hicham Belkouch.
Critics of the project are unhappy that it was given the go-ahead without any public consultation meetings or bidding process. A French company, Alstrom, was given the contract for the construction of 14 high-speed trains. The project is being financed with loans from France and several of the Gulf states.
The National Railways Office claims that the existing line between the two cities, currently used by 3.5 million people per year, has reached saturation point. They predict that the new line will be able to accommodate up to 6 million travellers per year, and argue that it will create new jobs and help boost the economy.
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"With €2.5 billion, we could build 16,000 km of roads in rural areas, 25,000 schools, 16,000 libraries, and 25 university hospitals"
Alae Bennani, who lives in Casablanca, is a member of the "Stop TGV" collective. On Sunday, he took part in the protest in the streets of Rabat.
“There were about 300 of us protesting in Rabat on Sunday [RFI reported a total of 500 demonstrators in the dozen or so cities who participated in the protests]. “Stop TGV” was joined by other non-governmental organisations who wanted to attend the demonstration. [Activists from the anti-establishment February 20th Movement also took part in some of the protests]. People were chanting “I love my country, I don’t want the TGV”, “Le Marzan (the Moroccan authorities) are tyrants forcing the TGV upon us”, or “Give back the billions stolen from the people”.
This is the first time a demonstration like this has taken place since the construction of the train line began in September 2011. Up until Sunday, we’d been trying to get our message across by handing out leaflets and organising conferences and sit-ins. But as time passed and nothing happened, we realised that we needed to take more dramatic action. We used social networks to organise the rallies, which were peaceful demonstrations. There were no violent outbursts amongst protesters and the security forces did not intervene.
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The high-speed rail project is a shocking waste of money. In rural areas, but also in some urban areas, the lack of public transport prevents children from going to school. The “Stop TGV” accountants have calculated that €2.5 billion could pay for the construction of 16,000km of roads in rural areas, 25,000 schools, 16,000 libraries, and 25 university hospitals. Morocco needs roads, schools, libraries, and hospitals. In Agadir, which is a big city, there isn’t a single university hospital. Spending such excessive amounts on this high-speed rail project could damage the country’s economy for years to come.
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The authorities should have held a referendum on the new high-speed train service. The truth is that this train line is for the rich, and only a handful of Moroccans will benefit from it.
Comments
Reply to comment | The Observers
Submitted by plan disneyland (not verified) on Tue, 18/12/2012 - 03:41.I was suggested this website by my cousin. I'm not sure whether this post is written by him as nobody else know such detailed about my trouble. You're amazing!
Thanks!
Morocco TGV
Submitted by Fleur (not verified) on Wed, 23/05/2012 - 19:42.This project need stopping immediately.
Update the existing line to accept cheaper electric trains and use the rest of the money to build the schools and other services.
Morocco needs remininding that is has a duty to try to attain the best standard of ehalth for its people and that will be best doen by stopping this vast waste of money.
TGV Morocco
Submitted by Norman Dee (not verified) on Wed, 23/05/2012 - 15:07.Look for French influence behind this, the French government owes so much money to Alsthom, they are committed to helping them get work whatever the true need. As for Portugal then you don't really need to look any further than the EU, it's part of the "big" plan to connect up Europe by high speed rail. Doesn't matter if there is no need or money, it must be done. Same as the controversial HST proposed for England.
Stop TGV Movement
Submitted by C. Hensley (not verified) on Wed, 23/05/2012 - 13:49.It is always interesting to see that the same basic struggles over priorities in spending exist well beyond the U.S. borders and Europe. Seems like the same arguments are made on both sides. However, in Morocco's case it does seem like a better idea to improve infrastructure throughout the country. That spreads the job growth and security. It might even ease the burden on the trains in the cities as fewer people might migrate to the urban centers looking for work, etc.
That's CHEAP!
Submitted by MikeLM (not verified) on Wed, 23/05/2012 - 03:04.under three billion euros for a high speed rail link? In California, the FIRST STAGE of our high speed rail project is 68.4 billion USD. And I doubt it will be as nice as TGV. How can you build so quickly when our projects are so expensive? I suppose labor and land rights are far more costly in California, but it's the same technology. This is unreal.
high speed rail
Submitted by Robert Pulliam (not verified) on Wed, 23/05/2012 - 02:04.may we suggest www.tubularrail.com
with a little help from the King, it could be built in Morrocco
rp
TGV old same story
Submitted by Silva 5000 (not verified) on Tue, 22/05/2012 - 21:49.In Portugal until recently the European Union also wanted a tgv in Portugal and yet knew that Portugal did not have money for that and still insisted they could , not even see that,,,if the E.U wants a tgv in Portugal pay Portugal does not have money for that.
Now moved to Morocco,,, here it is for me a very large dangerous lobbys.
thanx! a response to the
Submitted by Anonymea (not verified) on Tue, 22/05/2012 - 21:47.thanx!
a response to the previous comment, the explicit question...and the uncertainty whether a comment about pollution in Morocco was deleted or censored...
probably the comment was posted just recently...anyway...I have just found it and another comment by someone else...
find some of the entries really enriching!
thanx
sorry for the inconvenience
peace!
I like the article and the
Submitted by Anonymea (not verified) on Tue, 22/05/2012 - 21:41.I like the article and the fact that people claim their rights...the comparison with schools, hospitals, roads is really appropriate! hope you'll be successful...yet, why not tgv + hospitals, schools, roads...there are many wealthy people in the king's family...+ many wealthy friends in the gulf states...they gove money for mosques...why not for hospitals and schools...(by schools I mean institutions that teach languages, philosophy, politics, history, science, arts...not quran and hadith, exclusively...)
(I' m just curious whether this comment will appear...? a couple of days I wrote some lines...addressing the issue of pollution in morrocco...the very article about the rey and the purportedly toxic waste or the trash that is at least hazardous to health...which disappears when the king shows up...
these lines I have never seen as comment...?
hope there is no censorship on france 24...!)
peace
Comments
Submitted by Team Observers on Wed, 23/05/2012 - 06:22.Hello,
There is no censorship of comments - sometimes they just take a little while to appear. (We only delete comments in which obscenities appear.)
Cheers!