The National Office of Railways holds its board meeting and reveals its achievements for the year 2024
The National Office of Railways convened its board of directors yesterday, Tuesday, in Rabat, dedicating the meeting to approve its performance report for the year 2024, according to a statement.
The statement from the Office indicated that the Minister of Transport and Logistics, Abdel Samad Guiouh, who chaired the meeting, highlighted the significant progress made by the National Office of Railways over the past two decades, thanks to the visionary leadership of His Majesty King Mohammed VI.
The same source added that by implementing major structural projects, the National Office of Railways is moving forward in consolidating its position as a key player in transforming the national transportation landscape, placing railways at the heart of a sustainable low-carbon mobility model with a strong social and economic impact.
Mohamed Rabie Khalia, the General Director of the National Office of Railways, stated that the year 2024 was marked by a significant leap in strategic cooperation through partnerships established under the wise leadership of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, aimed at supporting the extension project of the high-speed train line between Kenitra and Marrakech, modernizing the railway sector, and enhancing the development of the national railway industry.
In this context, Khalia emphasized the positive dynamics and notable efficiency witnessed by the Office during the year 2024, reflected in the substantial recovery of its core activities, noting that these achievements embody the resilience of the Office’s model and the effectiveness of its strategic directions aimed at adapting to the transformations in the transportation sector in Morocco.
Passenger transport activities experienced an upward trend due to an expanded travel offering, more innovative services, and an enhanced experience both within stations and on trains. More than 55 million passengers chose the train as their means of transportation, marking a 4% increase compared to 2023. These results also reflected financially, with a turnover of 2.763 billion dirhams, representing an 8% increase compared to the previous year.
The high-speed train “Al-Boraq” continues to symbolize performance and sustainable commitment, reaffirming its appeal by exceeding the threshold of 5.5 million passengers, an increase of 6% compared to 2023, enabling it to achieve a turnover of 780 million dirhams (+11%).
As for the freight and logistics sector, the National Office of Railways continues to record ongoing progress in key performance indicators, reflecting its resilience and ability to adapt to the overall growth dynamics of the Office.
The turnover from freight transport activities reached 703 million dirhams, registering a 10% increase compared to 2023. This performance is mainly attributed to the positive dynamics seen in container and logistics activities, with a total of 8.5 million tons transported, reflecting a 2% increase compared to the previous year.
In terms of phosphate transport, a noticeable recovery was observed, with over 12.8 million tons of phosphate transported, an increase of 46% compared to the same period last year, leading to a turnover of 1.136 billion dirhams (+27%).
Thus, the turnover for 2024 exceeded 4.8 billion dirhams, bolstered by the continuous momentum of passenger transport activity and the recovery in phosphate transport. The passenger transport segment alone contributed nearly 62% of the total transport turnover for the year 2024.
Despite the inflationary context defining 2024, the Office managed to maintain effective management of its operational expenses, positively reflecting on the results, with gross operating profit (EBITDA) reaching a total of 1.95 billion dirhams in 2024, compared to 1.57 billion dirhams in 2023, and 900 million dirhams in 2019, the first year of the previous development cycle; a development that aligns perfectly with the path outlined in the Office’s action plan and reflects the effectiveness and strength of its managerial strategy.
Regarding operational results, the breakeven point was achieved thanks to the strong performance recorded, particularly in passenger transport activities. Excluding infrastructure costs, the operational result recorded a surplus of 1.2 billion dirhams, reflecting the excellent performance and efficiency of the National Office of Railways, with a net result, excluding the Office’s infrastructure costs, showing a profit of 898 million dirhams.
Concerning investments, the Office allocated approximately 2 billion dirhams in 2024, reflecting its desire to reinforce the effectiveness of its production system and prepare for a new development cycle through the structural projects programmed by 2030, which include extending the high-speed line toward Marrakech with new proximity services (RER) in the major regions of the kingdom, acquiring a new fleet of trains, and maintaining the effectiveness of the existing network.
The Office intends to intensify its efforts for impactful structural projects aimed at improving sustainable mobility and contributing to balanced development in territorial areas, stimulating the national railway industrial system, enhancing logistical competitiveness, and generating job opportunities and added value.
In line with its social responsibility, the Office continues its pioneering policy in this area, having seen 90% of its trains operate on clean environmental energy by the beginning of 2024.
The Minister and members of the board of directors praised the remarkable efforts of all the Office’s collaborators at the end of the session, commending their effective contribution to achieving the set goals and anticipating the challenges of sustainable mobility.
The statement concluded that at the end of the meeting, the board members raised a message of loyalty and allegiance to His Majesty King Mohammed VI.
