The latest contract in Morocco’s Kenitra-Marrakesh high-speed rail link has gone to the China Overseas Engineering Corporation (Covec), a subsidiary of China Railways, business website Zawya reports.

Covec was bidding for a stretch of the line running through Casablanca, the commercial capital of Morocco.

It was awarded the contract by the Moroccan National Railways Office (ONCF) after it put in a bid that was 21% lower than its rival, a French team led by NGE Contracting and its civil engineering subsidiary Guintoli.

Covec offered to do the work for $135m, compared with NGE’s $174m. The bid was also below the ONCE’s estimate for the job, which was $146m.

Covec now becomes the fourth Chinese company involved in the construction of the line, joining CRCC, China Railway Engineering and Shandong Hi-Speed Engineering-Construction.

NGE is the fourth largest construction group in France. It had been hoping that the Moroccan line would allow it to continue its international expansion drive.

The Saint-Etienne company last month won two projects in Egypt: the modernisation of a 112km length of the Cairo-Beni Suef line and a 20km extension of the light rail system running between the 10th of Ramadan and the New Administrative Capital.

The Casablanca package is part of an extension of the high-speed line between Tangiers and Kenitra to Marrakech, via Rabat.

The 430km line is being project managed by French engineers Egis and Systra, as well as Morocco’s Novec.

As well as laying track, the project will refurbish the stations along the route. There will also be two terminal stations and a maintenance workshop.

When complete, in time for the 2030 World Cup finals, the line will allow trains to run at 320km/h.