MOROCCAN National Railways (ONCF) transported 52.8 million passengers in 2023, a 15% increase on 2022, including more than 5 million on the Al Boraq high-speed service between Tangier, Kenitra and Casablanca.

This was an increase of 24% compared with 2022. According to the Ministry of Transport, the service, which launched in 2018, is now an established “icon of sustainable mobility” and a “vector of change.”

Overall, ONCF generated revenue of Dirhams 2.55bn ($US 250m), an increase of 17% year-on-year. Consolidated turnover also increased by 6% from Dirhams 4.59bn in 2022 to Dirhams 4.88bn in 2023.

ONCF capital expenditure during the year was Dirhams 1.13bn, mostly relating to maintenance and renewal of the mainline network.

The railway’s debt was Dirhams 43.9bn at the end of 2023, a fall of 3%.

ONCF entered 2024 by operating 90% of its electrified services with electricity obtained from renewable sources, a move described by the Ministry of Transport as “optimising energy bills,” while “substantially reducing the railway’s carbon footprint.”