Egypt's railway services to be fully renewed by 2024: Transport minister

CAIRO - 24 December 2022: Transport Minister Kamel Wazir stressed the Egyptian National Railways will finalize renewing all railway services by 2024, congratulating the Egyptian leadership and people on operating the first Talgo deluxe passenger train.

Egypt received two trains out of total seven trains. One of the trains was piloted and went into service on Saturday between Cairo and Alexandria.

He made the remarks on Saturday while inspecting the launch of the first journey of the train.

The minister stressed that this falls within the framework of directives of President Abdel Fattah El Sisi, noting that these trains operate under up-to-date technology.

The second train will be piloted within the coming days, he said. 

The first trips of the luxury Talgo trains started on Saturday from Ramses station Cairo to the stations of Sidi Gaber and Misr in the Mediterranean city of Alexandria.

The operation of this luxury train constitutes a huge quantum leap in the history of Egyptian railways, as the luxury trains of Talgo resembles the trains operating in European countries, and will provide the highest levels of service to the Egyptian public, a statement by the Egyptian Transport Ministry read.

These trains are characterized by advanced modern technologies and a high operational speed of up to 160 km / h, in addition to the presence of pneumatic systems to absorb vibrations, which achieves complete comfort for passengers at high speeds.

Among the services available at these new trains are seats designed for people with special needs, display screens for each seat in the first-class carriages and central ones in second-class carriages, a fire alarm system to maintain the safety of passengers, surveillance cameras, and a quality buffet. 

The Ministry of Transport had concluded a contract with the Spanish company Talgo to supply 7 new air-conditioned trains (6 trains + a train as a gift for the Egyptian people) with a total value of 157 million euros, including the maintenance contract and spare parts.

MENA contributed to the reporting.