Wael Salem
In 1854, the railway came to Egypt. Since 2014, the rail network has been undergoing an overhaul worth several millions in investment and through agreements with the European Investment Bank and World Bank.
Overall 10-year plan to revamp railway sector
The plan to update the rail system entails bringing signalling and communication systems on main lines and level crossings up to date with electronic technologies and centralised controls to reduce the risk of human error and improve safety.
Minister of Transport Kamel el-Wazir said in recent press remarks that his ministry would undertake 257 projects costing a total LE220 billion from 2014 to 2024. To date, 180 projects costing LE45 billion have been completed and fifty-two schemes (LE43 billion) were underway, while 28 others (LE132 billion) are scheduled for completion by 2024.
Locomotives and passenger rolling stock are also to be updated at a total cost of LE48.2 billion.
In 2019, under the terms of a $602 million agreement, General Electric will supply 110 new locomotives and maintain 181 machines for 15 years.
According to an agreement with the Russian-Hungarian consortium Transmash Holdings in 2019, the largest agreement worth more than €1 billion in the history of Egyptian Railways, the company dispatches 1,300 passenger cars, of which 770 have already been delivered,
Tunnels, electric traction network
A 2200-kilometre network of tunnels and electric traction costing LE757 billion will be finished by 2024.
A 250km per hour electric train network will be 1,795 kilometres long and cost LE360 billion and will be operational in two years’ time.
The first line of 460 kilometres, due to be completed by end 2023 at a cost of LE100 billion will have15 stations from Ain Sokhna on the Red Sea to New Alamein City on the Mediterranean coast, passing through the New Administrative Capital and Borg el-Arab City.
The second line will link Red Sea ports with the ports of Alexandria and Matrouh Gargoub. The third will connect Hurghada and Safaga on the Red Sea with Qena and Luxor. The last will link 6 October City with Luxor and Aswan.
Accomplishments until now
According to a recent report by the cabinet Information and Decision Support Centre (IDSC), 130 out of 260 new locomotives are now in service, while 61 out of 400 train engines have been refurbished. Five out of six Talgo trains began operation, while 770 of the expected 1,350 items of new rolling stock have been supplied.
A contract worth €1 billion was signed with Transmash Holdings 1,300 railcars.
As for stations, 60 in rural areas have been upgraded as part of the presidential rural development initiative Decent Life.
Automated ticket barriers and ticket vending machines have been installed and the requirements for people with special needs have been met, notably special ticket windows and wheelchair access.
MoU to localise spare parts
Transport Minister Kamel el-Wazir was present at the signing of a memorandum of understanding between the Egyptian National Railways (ENR) and Linza Egypt for Engineering Projects and Equipment to set up a factory in the industrial zone in Kom Abu Rady, Beni Sueif to produce spare parts. This came within the framework of implementing President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi’s directives to localise the transport industry.
“Modernising and reforming Egypt’s railways are crucial to meeting the travel needs of the public and boost the economy,” el-Wazir said.
High-speed electric train
Egypt is currently implementing the speed electric train network, which consists of three lines covering all parts of the country.
The total length of 2,250 km, and the first line is scheduled to operate in 2024.
The rail lines will connect 60 cities nationwide via trains that can operate at up to 230 km/hour.
The network, which will be accessible by around 90 per cent of Egyptians, will provide about 500 million journeys annually.
The second line will stretch 1,100 kilometres, linking Cairo in the north with Aswan’s Abu Simbel in the south. The third line will connect Luxor in Upper Egypt with Hurghada city on the Red Sea.
The project cost will be paid for six years after the beginning of construction work over a period of 14 years.
The project will be the sixth largest of its kind in the world, according to the German train manufacturer.
The eco-friendly project is part of the country’s effort to go green in order to tackle the impact of climate change.
The Ministry of Transport is making great strides in manufacturing the express electric train, which will operate on three lines connecting all Egyptian cities.
The trains are being manufactured in Siemens’ factory in Krefeld, Germany, with the latest technology systems.
During a recent tour of some sites of the first line of the Electric Express Train network, Transport Minister Kamel el-Wazir provided his ministry’s perspectives on the project, one of the most important for Egypt’s future economic development.
The network will connect Sokhna Port on the Red Sea with Marsa Matrouh on the Mediterranean, making an unprecedented fast link between the two areas.
This link will ease the movement of people and goods between the two areas in ways that serve the Egyptian economy best when the network is operational.
The Electric Express Train network will also make the movement of goods between the Red Sea and the Mediterranean easy.
The new network is tantamount to a new Suez Canal. It will offer goods coming from the Gulf region, East Asia, China, and the southern part of the continent, including India and Indonesia, a fast link to North Africa and southern Europe across the Mediterranean.
The Egyptian state is putting huge investments into this network because it maximizes its strategic value and economic benefits.
The network, which will pass by Alexandria, Alamein and Matrouh, will contain four train lines that cover an area of 2,250 kilometres.
The first line of the network will cover an area of 120 kilometres, namely between Alexandria and Alamein.
The network, which will start from the Sokhna/ Dekheila Logistics Corridor, will contain 21 stations. Fifteen express trains will be operating within the network, along with 34 regional trains and 14 cargo tractors.
It will just revolutionise development in the area and ease the movement of people and goods to and from the northern coast.
