This article was automatically translated from HIBAPRESS, the Arabic version:
This article was automatically translated from HIBAPRESS, the Arabic version:
Heba Press
The National Railway Office plans to achieve a record turnover which will exceed 5 billion dirhams during the year 2025, recording an increase of 6% compared to 2024.
The office indicated, in a press release published at the end of the meeting of its board of directors chaired by the Minister of Transport and Logistics, Abdel Samad Qayuh, that “expectations for the year 2025 are based on an increase of passenger and goods transport, with a record turnover which will exceed 5 billion dirhams, recording an increase of 6% compared to the year 2024.
Thus, the 2025 budgets foresee continued growth in passenger activity with the aim of carrying 57 million passengers, an increase of 4 percent compared to expectations to end the year 2024, and an increase in passenger activity. transport of goods to reach 21 million tonnes.
At the start of his opening speech, Mr. Qiuh highlighted the development experienced by the railway sector under the leadership of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, over the last two decades, through the implementation of structured projects. having made it possible to strengthen Morocco’s position. rail as an essential lever for sustainable transport, low in greenhouse gas emissions and with visible social and economic impacts for society.
For his part, the Director General of the National Railway Office, Mohamed Rabie Al-Khalie, took stock of the past year before reviewing the details of the 2025 budgets and the assumptions used for their preparation. .
He considered that the year 2024 confirms the consolidation of the good economic and commercial performances recorded by the office, and represents an important step in the achievement of the new development cycle of the office.
Thus, the year 2024 ended with exceptional growth and record figures, since 55 million passengers chose the train for their trip, an increase of 4 percent compared to the previous year.
Highlighting the attractiveness of Buraq and the sustainable growth of the high-speed train business, and in line with expectations, more than 5.5 million passengers were transported, an increase of 5 percent compared to 2023.
The freight transportation activity during the year 2024 was also characterized by exceptional performance, despite the international situation characterized by economic unrest and fluctuating prices of raw materials, since 20 million tons of goods were transported, an increase of 17 percent compared to the year 2023.
In this context, the total turnover for the year 2024 should exceed 4.7 billion dirhams, thanks to the continued growth of passenger transport activity and the good recovery of transport activity of phosphates, which reflects an increase of more than 9% compared to 2023.
Furthermore, the National Railway Office continues to control the rationalization of expenditure, despite an international context characterized by inflation in the prices of materials and energy.
Thus, the Office plans to achieve a positive level of EBITDA profits (excluding interest, taxes, depreciation and loan deductions) for the year 2024 worth 1.8 billion dirhams, an increase by 9% compared to the year 2023, or more than double the level recorded in 2019 (first year of operation of the projects of the last development cycle), which reflects the excellent performance of the National Railway Office).
Regarding the budgets allocated for the year 2025, Mr. Al-Khulai stressed that they were designed in light of the guidelines contained in the draft finance law for the year 2025, which aims to support the economic growth of the countries and to develop investments, taking into account the organization by the Kingdom of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations and the preparations for the organization of the 2030 FIFA World Cup.
It is also part of the principle of rationalizing expenses to cope with fluctuations in raw material prices and inflation.
These budgets continue to enhance the exceptional performance achieved in recent years in passenger and freight transportation activities, while continuing to rationalize expenses to cope with fluctuations linked to raw material prices and inflation.
As for investments, they are mainly based on the effective launch of the agency’s new development cycle, which is structured around structuring projects for 2030: extension of the high-speed line to Marrakech, provision of a new regional train (RER) serving the main regions of the Kingdom, and the acquisition of new trains, and the construction of new stations.
These structuring projects will make it possible to strengthen rail as the backbone of sustainable transport in the Kingdom, particularly in the context of preparation for the 2030 World Cup that the Kingdom will organize.
