Starting 2022, old railcars in Egypt to be out of service

CAIRO – 13 December 2021: Minister of Transportation Kamel al-Wazir stated Sunday in a phone-in that starting 2022 only new and renewed railcars will be operated on Egyptian lines.

The minister added that crowdedness on the Ring Road would also be eliminated in the same year as bus rapid transit (BRT) will be substituted for random minibus stations on the highway.

In September, Wazir highlighted that the value of the budget that has been allocated to the rehabilitation of the railway sector is LE200 billion.

Earlier this year, the delivery of 110 train engines by General Electric was concluded, while the delivery of 1,300 railcars by Transmasholding is still ongoing.   

The ministry of Transportation announced in May that 375 Transmashholding railcars had been delivered since June 2020 within a deal worth €1 billion.

The contract includes supplying 500 dynamic-ventilation third-class units, 500 air-conditioned third-class units, 180 air-conditioned second-class units, 90 air-conditioned first-class units, and 30 air-conditioned cabooses.

The deal was a must given that only 2,200 passenger railcars out of 3,200 were functional.

As those require well-functioning engines, the minister of transportation stated in April that LE53 billion were allocated to the purchase of new train engines, and the rehabilitation of 400 out of the 800 existing ones.

The ministry had signed a contract worth $602 million with General Electric to acquire 110 new train engines and rehabilitate 81 others. The company would also supply spare parts and carry out maintenance for 15 years. The 110 new train engines have been supplied and 21 existing ones have been rehabilitated.

Another contract was signed with ProgressRail for it to supply 50 train engines, upgrade 50 existing ones, and rehabilitate 41 others. A maintenance contract worth $466.1 million was signed with the same company to maintain those 141 engines over 15 years. The company has supplied 16 train engines, and 134 tractor engines, and rehabilitated 30 others. The ministry will also invite tenders soon to acquire 100 train engines with a fund worth €290 million offered by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD).

There is also another deal – worth €226 million - with Talgo to supply Egypt with six trains. Each includes an engine, a head-end power car, a caboose, and five first-class air-conditioned railcars, and eight second-class air conditioned railcars.

Egypt is also executing a monorail, linking 6th of October City with the New Administrative Capital, and three electric trains connecting the entire country together.