High-speed rail in Egypt
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![](//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/97/Egypt_HSR_spring_2022.svg/250px-Egypt_HSR_spring_2022.svg.png) Planned high speed rail lines, May 2022. 1st segment is under construction with completion date of 2027. 2nd segment has been extended to the Western Desert and has begun construction, with no announced end date. Construction of the 3rd segment, which is currently in the planning stage, is reported to begin soon. Further lines are proposed.
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Headquarters
| Cairo
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Locale
| Egypt
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Dates of operation
| 2027
(
2027
)
–
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Track gauge
| 1,435mm
Standard gauge
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Track length
| 2000 km
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Egypt has no operational
high-speed rail
links, but a project was launched in 2018 to construct three such lines with a total length of about 2,000 kilometres (1,200 mi). The first line links the cities of
Ain Sukhna
and
Marsa Matrouh
, the second connects the cities of
Sixth of October
and
Abu Simbel
, and the third connects the city of
Qena
with the cities of
Hurghada
and
Safaga
.
The project is being established by a coalition of German
Siemens
companies, the
Arab Contractors
and
Orascom Construction
, where Siemens will carry out all the works of the project's electrical, mechanical, control and control systems, as well as the manufacture and supply of electric trains, the establishment of a maintenance workshop and the installation of its equipment, while the Arab Contractors and Orascom companies implement earth bridges, bridges, and industrial works for track, passenger terminals and fences.
Once completed, the railway system will be operated and maintained by Deutsche Bahn and the Egyptian
Elsewedy Electric
.
[1]
History
[
edit
]
On 12 March 2018, Egypt's
Transport Minister
Hisham Arafat said that Egypt is in the process of launching a new
high-speed railway
linking the Mediterranean (Most likely referring to the northern coastal governorates like
Alexandria
,
Beheira
) and the
Red Sea
with the participation of more than 10 international companies.
[2]
[3]
In January 2021, Egypt's authorities signed a declaration of intent with a consortium led by Germany's Siemens company, with the first contract of 4.5 billion Euro for 660 km of the high-speed railway issued in September 2021.
[4]
In May 2022, the contract was extended to encompass the complete 2000 km track with a budget totaling 8.1 billion Euros (US$8.7 billion).
[5]
In November 2022,
DB International Operations
, a subsidiary of
Deutsche Bahn
, and the Egyptian
Elsewedy Electric
won the contract to operate and maintain Egypt's high-speed rail network after completion.
[1]
Train lines
[
edit
]
Red line
[
edit
]
The first 660 km was planned to begin at
Mersa Matruh
[6]
on the
Mediterranean Sea
, pass through
Al-Alamein
,
Borg El Arab
, then to
Wadi El Natroun
, on to the
6th October City
, through southern
Cairo
to the
New Administrative Capital
, and end in
Ain Sokhna
on the
Gulf of Suez
of the
Red Sea
. As of January 2021,
surveying
and route planning have been completed and construction is underway to build bridges and track.
[7]
This initial segment is intended to be used for both passengers and freight, and is projected to cost US$3 billion with a completion date of 2023. On 14 January 2021, a
Memorandum of understanding
was signed between
Siemens Mobility
and the National Authority of Tunnels, an authority under the
Ministry of Transportation
of Egypt to design, install, and maintain Egypt's first high-speed rail system.
[8]
[9]
The initially-dubbed "second line" between
Alexandria
and Borg El Arab was combined into this contract, and both are under construction as of 2022.
[10]
The Siemens-led consortium was awarded a $4.5 billion contract to build the lines from Ain Sokhna to Marsa Matruh and to Alexandria in September 2021, and is scheduled for completion in 2027.
[4]
The line will be outfitted with
Velaro
high-speed passenger trains. This 660 km segment will be designed to carry up to 30 million passengers annually, cut travel times in half, and cut carbon emissions by 70%.
[11]
Design speed of the new railway line is going to be 250 km/h, while high-speed trains are going to reach 230 km/h during normal service.
[12]
Yellow line
[
edit
]
A second line will stretch from Sixth of October City through
Fayoum
,
Minya
,
Aswan
, and
Abu Simbel
over 1,100 km on the west bank of the Nile.
[13]
Local stations will include
Al-Ayat
,
Al-Fashn
,
Al-Adwa
,
Bani Mazar
,
Samalout
,
Abu Qurqas
,
Mallawi
, and
Dayrout
.
[14]
Survey and construction work for this line began in March 2022 by Egyptian authorities, especially around 6 October City and Fayoum, with an anticipated design speed of 250 km/h, but preliminary operation of express trains at 230 km/h.
[14]
An extension of this line was announced in May 2022 from Aswan through
Abu Simbel
to
Toshka
and
Sharq El Owainat
in the
Western Desert
, as well as an extension to
Wadi Halfa
, in
Sudan
.
[15]
[16]
The
Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development
signed a $2.45 million feasibility study for a 283.5 km line from Aswan to Toshka and Abu Simbel, as well as the 80 km extension to Sudan, which includes a 6 km bridge across
Lake Nasser
.
[17]
[18]
Purple line
[
edit
]
The third line is planned in the south from
Safaga
through
Sahl Hasheesh
,
Hurghada
, East
Sohag
,
Qena
, and
Qus
, ending in
Luxor
, at a total cost of $2.7 billion with a construction time of two years.
[19]
Contracts for building the second and third lines were planned to be signed by Siemens in March 2022; the 8.1 billion euro contract was signed on May 31, 2022, between the Egyptian government and Siemens (and its consortium partners
Orascom Construction
and
The Arab Contractors
), and includes the construction of the second and third line as well as 41
Velaro
8-car high-speed passenger trains, 94
Desiro
high-capacity four-car regional train sets, and 41
Vectron
freight locomotives, as well as
ETCS Level 2
and a suitable power grid.
[20]
The entire network is projected to cost US$23 billion and span over 2000 km.
[9]
[13]
Future projects
[
edit
]
Intent to build an extension eastwards from Marsa Matruh through
El Negaila
to
Sallum
on the
Libyan
border, to
Benghazi
in Libya, was announced by Egyptian Transport Minister
Kamel Al-Wazir
in November 2020, and was again confirmed by the Libyan-Egyptian Chamber of Commerce on 18 January 2021.
[21]
An extension to
Siwa
was also mentioned.
[16]
This is part of the Egyptian government's larger plan to build political and economic links with both Libya and
Sudan
, including to
Wadi Halfa
.
[16]
[22]
See also
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
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Technologies
| |
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High-speed trains
| 350 km/h
(217 mph)
or more
| |
---|
300?349 km/h
(186?217 mph)
|
- Renfe Class 100, 101
,
102
,
103
- Alstom AGV
- China Railway
Hexie
CRH2C
,
3C
,
380A
/
MTR CRH380A
,
380B
,
380C
,
380D
- ETR 500
- ETR 400
- Eurostar e300
;
e320
- ICE 3
- KTX-I
,
II (Sancheon)
,
KTX-Cheongryong
- Oaris
- Shinkansen Series 500
,
N700
,
N700S
,
E5/H5
,
E6
,
E8
- AVRIL
- TGV Sud-Est (refurbished)
,
Atlantique
,
Reseau
,
Duplex
,
POS
,
2N2
,
M (Avelia Horizon)
- TCDD HT80000
- Thalys PBA, PBKA
- THSR 700T
- Siemens Velaro
|
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250?299 km/h
(155?186 mph)
|
- Avelia Liberty
- China Star
,
DJF2
,
China Railway
Hexie
CRH1A, 1B, 1E
,
2A, 2B, 2E, 2G
,
3A
,
5A, 5E, 5G
,
China Railway
Fuxing
CR300AF, CR300BF
- ICE
1
,
2
,
4
(ICx)
- KTX-Eum
- New Pendolino
- Renfe Class 120, 121
,
130
- Sapsan
- SBB RABe 501
,
RABe 503
- Shinkansen Series 200
,
300
,
700
,
800
,
E2
,
E3
,
E7/W7
- TCDD HT65000
- TGV Sud-Est (original)
,
La Poste
- V250
|
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200?249 km/h
(124?155 mph)
|
- Acela
- ACS-64
- Adelante
- APT
- China Railway DJJ1
,
China Railway
Hexie
CRH6
,
China Railway
Fuxing
CR200J
- ER200
- HHP-8
- IC4
- ICNG
- InterCity 125
,
225
- ICE T
,
TD
,
ICE L
- Javelin
- NSB Class 71 (Flytoget)
- NSB Class 73
- NSB Class 74
- Pendolino
- Railjet
- Regina
- Shinkansen series 0
,
100
,
400
,
E1
,
E4
- SBB RABDe 500
- Re 460
- SC-44
- SCB-40
- X 2000
,
SJ X40
- Z-TER (Z 21500)
- Sokol
- British Rail Classes 800
,
801
,
802
,
803
,
805
,
807
,
810
- Talgo XXI
- Voyager/Meridian
- X3
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High-speed railway line
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By countries and territories
planned networks in italics
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