- Egypt is set to commence construction of US 2.5bn monorail l transport system
- The system will connect the New Administrative Capital (NAC), now under construction, with other major towns.
- UK company, Bombardier Transportation has been awarded the project.
The new monorail system will consist of two lines, one which will be 54km to connect East Cairo with the vast New Administrative Capital, and the other to link 6th October City to Giza will be 42km. There would be 11 stations, and the speed of the trains would reach 120km/h.
Bombardier Transportation was selected as the preferred bidder to deliver the project in a partnership with two Egyptian firms, Orascom Construction and the Arab Contractors.
The potential value of the bid for Bombardier Transportation is €1.2 billion ($1.3 billion US) for the Design & Build Contract. In addition, there is a 15+15 years Operations and Maintenance deal with a potential value of about €1.1 billion ($1.2 billion US). The rolling stock part of the order will be developed and built in Derby, UK.
The go ahead on the project comes on the back of Chinese of US $1.2bn for project finalised late last year. The loan comprises US $739m at an interest rate of 1.8% for infrastructure, and US $461m with a 2% interest rate for the trains repayable over 15 years, with a five-year grace period. An initial agreement for the loan was signed in September 2018 during the visit of President Abdel Fatah El-Sisi to China.
The new railway will also link the 10th of Ramadan City outside Cairo to the new capital, taking in El Salam and other new cities.
Author: Bryan Groenendaal
Source: Bombardier Transportation
