Egypt awards $790m contracts to modernise railways

A consortium led by France’s Alstom has signed multiple contracts to modernise Egypt’s railways by improving connectivity between new dry ports, industrial zones and seaports.

The combined value of the deals, covering the 6th of October-Alexandria corridor and the Belbes-10th of Ramadan (B10) line, is €690 million ($790 million), Alstom said in a statement.

The contract for the 6th of October-Alexandria corridor, valued at €550 million, includes modernising the line with the latest digital systems, upgrading telecommunications and reinforcing power supply.

The Belbes-10th of Ramadan (B10) project, worth €140 million, will have the same advanced technologies and modernisation scope. It will enhance connectivity to one of Egypt’s largest industrial hubs, strengthening freight efficiency and supporting industrial growth across the eastern logistics corridor.

The projects will ease supply-chain bottlenecks, support sustainable freight transport and boost national and regional trade flows, the statement said.

Alstom will be responsible for the end-to-end engineering, design, supply, testing and commissioning of the new digital railway systems across both corridors.

Egypt-based Rowad Modern Engineering and Concrete Plus, other consortium members, will deliver track upgrades.

Alstom’s share of the contract value stands at €300 million.

In October last year, Martin Vaujour, the French company’s president for Africa, the Middle East and Central Asia, told AGBI that Bahrain was looking at developing a monorail as a more cost-effective alternative to a long-delayed metro network.

Further reading:

• Egypt targets $4bn from global bond markets
• Egypt reports 15% annual rise in garment exports
• Egypt’s economy shows resilience against the turmoil of war