Newsletter Subscription

Siemens Mobility has signed a contract with Egyptian contractors Orascom Construction and The Arab Contractors to build a 2,000-kilometre high-speed rail network. It is expected to be the sixth-largest high-speed network in the world.

On completion, the high-speed rail network will link 60 cities across the country and the lines will be fully electrified. This will allow the trains to achieve a top speed of 23 kilometres per hour. It will follow a route from Ain Sochhna, a Red Sea port city to Marsa Matruh and Alexandria on the Mediterranean coast. 

A Siemens subsidiary – Siemens Mobility, the Egyptian National Authority for Tunnels, and consortium partners The Arab Contractors and Orascom Construction, signed the contract. Siemens Mobility said the combined deal would be US$8.7 billion.

The contract also includes 41 high-speed trains, 94 regional trains, 41 freight trains, and eight depots and freight stations. Siemens will maintain these systems for 15 years as part of the contract.

The network will comprise three parts:

1. A 660-kilometre line linking Ain Sokhna, on the Red Sea, to Alexandria and Marsa Matrouh on Egypt’s Mediterranean coast.
2. A roughly 1,100-kilometre line between Cairo and Abu Simbel, close to the border with Sudan. It will pass through the Nile settlements.
3. A 225-kilometre stretch between Luxor and Hurghada on the Red Sea. This will help in the transport of goods from the Mediterranean to the key port of Safaga.

“Together with our partners, we will develop from scratch a complete and state-of-the-art rail network that will offer a blueprint for the region on how to install an integrated, sustainable, and modern transportation system,” Michael Peter, the CEO of Siemens Mobility, said.

The International Energy Agency said rail will be “one of the most energy-efficient transport modes.” Rail accounts for 9% of worldwide motorized passenger movement, 7% of freight movement and 3% of transport energy usage.

However, the IEA is trying to reduce rail dependency on oil, accounting for 55% of the sector’s total energy consumption in 2020. It aims to create a steady shift toward electricity and hydrogen.

Top Photo: Fleet of Egypt High Speed Trains (press.siemens.com)