A Suez Canal
on tracks
The 660 km line will connect the port cities of Ain Sokhna on the Red Sea to Marsa Matrouh and Alexandria on the Mediterranean, creating a Suez Canal type of link on the tracks. The Egyptian government has an ambitious plan to invest heavily in a reliable and sustainable 1800 km state-of-the-art high-speed rail network, that will provide efficient, safe, and affordable transportation for all Egyptians, as well as goods across the country. The two additional lines will connect the Greater Cairo region from 6th October City along the Nile River with Aswan, and Luxor via Hurghada to Safaga. The entire network will re-establish Egypt as a regional leader for transportation. It will impact different economic sectors, empowering both smaller and midsized businesses, and will provide an overall boost to the economy.
High impact on society, environment and economy
Already the first line will be very beneficial for Egypt’s society and
environment. The consortium will directly create more
than 15,000 jobs in Egypt, with an additional 3,800 at Egyptian suppliers and
indirectly through the wider Egyptian economy. It is anticipated that many more
jobs will be created as soon as the other lines are ready for implementation. In
addition to jobs,
the project will also contribute to a significant local, technical training and
qualification program that Siemens Mobility intends to support, which will
provide the needed skill development to complement the project.
The fully electrified system will reduce primary
energy usage and overall air pollution by cutting carbon emissions by 70%, in
comparison to the current emissions from car and bus transportation, thereby
increasing the quality of life and protecting the environment for Egyptians. The
rail system will be based on state-of-the-art technology, proven products, and
European standards. The signaling system to be supplied complies with highest safety
requirements. Additionally, extensive testing and commissioning and local
training will ensure the safety of passengers and staff.
More than 30 million passengers per year
The connection will transport more than 30 million people per year and save up to 50 percent travel time, which will strongly increase the productivity of workforce. It will link Cairo to the new urban communities being developed. Cairo’s population has doubled in size since 1980 and today approximately 20 million people call Cairo home. Therefore, to ease the congestion, new cities are currently being developed around the Cairo metropolis. The additional benefit of a comfortable and affordable commuter system around Cairo will reduce travel time from east to west. Furthermore, the line will connect both sea and dry ports which will improve the overall efficiency of moving freight. Specifically, the total inland freight transported on rails will be increased by 15%.
Siemens Mobility is one of the global leaders
in high-speed rail operations and is one of the leading companies in the
Egyptian mobility market since the 1960s. The company has also extensive
experience in delivering high-speed rail projects and executed many rail
projects in the Middle East and Africa region. As
a leading global rail turnkey project provider with a proven track record of having
successfully delivered more than 50 turnkey projects worldwide, Siemens
Mobility integrates its portfolio elements and delivers complete rail systems reliably
and from one single source.
This press release, as well as pictures and
videos are available at:
https://press.siemens.com/global/en/feature/moving-egypt
For animated train footage please see:
https://sie.ag/3tLvLyx