Egypt receives 1st batch of General Electric’s tractors in Alexandria

CAIRO – 5 December 2019: Minister of Transport Kamel al-Wazir received the first batch of 10 new American tractors that arrived Alexandria port as part of a deal signed with General Electric Company.

The deal stipulates that the company will manufacture and support 100 new tractors to the Egyptian side.

This comes as part of Egypt’s moves to renovate the railway system including new locomotives, signals and crossings.

The minister said that the new tractors will be taken to the tractors maintenance workshops in the sorting area in Cairo to be examined.

The model tractor will be tested on railway railways on a distance of 75 thousand km, for a period of two months, to make sure it complies with the specifications set by the Egyptian Railway Authority.

The Ministry of Transportation overhauled 217 train stations between 2014 and 2019, as well as 480.6 kilometers of railroads, the government indicated in a report submitted to the Parliament in November.

The report shows the government’s achievements between June 2018 and June 2019 as examined by 25 committees at the House of Representatives, including those of planning, education, health, workforce, religious affairs, industry, economy, agriculture, and housing. Each will prepare a report evaluating the government’s work and putting forward demands by November 20. The reports will be discussed by the plenary session in order to draft a final report.

The Egyptian Railway Authority (ERA) signed with PRL (Progress Rail Automotives) a number of contracts worth $466.3 million after meeting with President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi last week.

The American company will supply 50 train engines over 22 months, will carry out long-term maintenance for 41 engines by June 30, and will upgrade 50 others within 30 months from the conclusion of the deal. The company will also provide maintenance services and spare parts for the 141 train engines for 15 years. The value of contracts will be secured through soft loans, except for $27 million that will be paid by ERA’s treasury.