Orascom Construction’s subsidiary wins design-builder contract in US

CAIRO – 17 May 2018: Orascom Construction Ltd (ORAS) announced that its subsidiary, Weitz Company, has won a contract as the design builder contractor for the stage 2 extension to the PHX Sky Train guide way and the maintenance facility at Phonenix Sky Harbor International Airport in Arizona.

In a filing to the Egyptian Exchange (EGX), the company clarified that it was selected by the rail technology company, Bombardier Transportation, to this project after the previous joint success of the Bombardier-Weitz team that constructed the existing guide way system (Stage 1 and 1A) at Arizona’s largest airport.

The contract of Stage 2 covers a 2.5-mile extension to the airport’s rental car center, two new stations and an expansion of the system’s maintenance facility to accommodate Stage 2 operations and train maintenance, besides adding 24 cars to the fleet, along with upgrades to work completed during Stage
1, according to the company’s statement.

The statement also added that Stage 2 will be opened in 2022, clarifying that the design of Stage 2 began in April and will continue until the start of the construction process in February 2019.

“We are pleased that Weitz is creating repeat business with existing partners such as Bombardier, which is also collaborating with Orascom in Egypt. We are also excited that Weitz is successfully expanding its footprint in the transportation and infrastructure sectors across its markets,” CEO of Orascom Construction, Osama Bishai, stated.

Orascom noted that the extension of the PHX Sky Train will provide airport passengers with more reliable and efficient access to the rental car center from the airport facilities, in addition to reducing airport roadway congestion.

“Weitz first teamed with Bombardier during the construction of Stage 1 and 1A of the PHX Sky Train, which included 3.2-miles of dual lane guide way with multiple stops as well as the maintenance facility,” according to the statement.

Weitz Company, owned by Orascom Construction, was founded in 1855 as a national, full service general contractor, design-builder and construction manager that serves all 50 U.S. states.

Orascom Construction Ltd's consolidated profits marked a 60.6 percent increase during 2017, recording $85.1 million (LE 1.5 billion), compared to $53 million in 2016.

Orascom Construction Ltd is a public company, listed on Nasdaq Dubai and EGX. It operates within the capital goods sector, with a focus on construction and engineering.

It has companies operating across South and Central Asia, North America, Western Europe, North Africa, West Africa and the Middle East.