Bologna-based Site signs 140 million contract in Morocco

This is the largest foreign railway contract ever signed by Site, the Bologna-based group with a turnover of €547 million and over 3,000 employees specialising in integrated technology infrastructures. It consists of two orders worth over 140 million euro awarded by the Moroccan ONCF (Office National des Chemins de Fer) railways for the new Kénitra-Marrakech high-speed line, a strategic infrastructure in view of the 2030 World Cup that will cross the economic heart of Morocco, connecting the airport and logistics hubs between Casablanca and Marrakech in 400 kilometres, including the Moulay Abdellah and Hassan II stadiums.

Site will be responsible for the construction of the entire railway telecommunications network (very high-capacity fibre-optic data transport and GSM), power supply systems, and the design of cybersecurity solutions to ensure the safety and security of the infrastructure, in accordance with the standards of the European ERTMS-level 2 system (for the control and management of high-speed and high-density rail traffic, ensuring interoperability, safety and increased capacity). The activities also include the preparatory civil works and systems integration on behalf of the group led by the French Compagnie des Signaux (Mermec Group), in which not only Site but also another Italian company, GCF-Generali Costruzioni Ferroviarie, is participating, to which Moroccan Railways awarded the technological contract for signalling.

"We are proud to have been chosen as system integrator for such an ambitious project. It is a confirmation of our ability to manage complex projects by integrating telecommunications, energy and security, with reliable and scalable solutions," says Stefano Borghi, President and CEO of Site Group. "North Africa is a strategic development area for us and this new line strengthens our presence in a fast-growing market.

Founded in Bologna over 75 years ago, Site has evolved from a telephone line installer to a technology integrator active in five key areas: telecommunications, railway signalling, energy, ICT and cybersecurity. Today the group has more than 30 offices in Italy and a consolidated international presence, in particular in the North African and Middle Eastern markets for decades. In recent years it has also accelerated on the M&A front, taking over the entire capital of the Sardinian company Selt Spa (specialising in high-voltage lines) in 2021 and expanding its range of action to include electricity transmission, renewables and submarine cable laying.

The new infrastructure in Morocco is part of King Muhammad VI's national plan to develop more than 5,000 km of high and medium-speed railways, which will extend rail services to 43 cities (from the current 23) to cover 87% of the population and become an intercontinental logistics platform capable of attracting investment and tourists ahead of the 2030 Fifa World Cup. "This order enhances all our multidisciplinary competences, from the design of complex networks to the protection of critical infrastructures, and allows us to consolidate our international positioning in the high-tech railway sector," concludes Luca Alfano, director of the Transport Business Unit.