Tangier-Casablanca HST to carry 8 million passengers per year, official

   With a capacity of 500 passengers, the new HST will be accessible to the average citizen with a departure in every hour and every half hour during periods of heavy traffic, Khlie told the second Moroccan channel "2M" on Monday.

   Noting that the works in the HST project will start in June 2010, Khlie said that infrastructure works and railway equipment will end in 2014, and the HST will be operational in December 2015.

   The High-Speed Train project is part of the government's action plan that aims at promoting economic and social development through strengthening and upgrading major infrastructure network.

   It is funded by the State (4.8 billion dirhams), the Hassan II Fund for Economic and Social Development (1 billion dirhams), French and European donations (1.9 billion dirhams) and loans with favourable terms and conditions (12.3 billion dirhams).