Egypt’s National Railway Industries Company (NERIC) has signed a €275 million (approximately EGP 15.16 billion) agreement with the National Authority for Tunnels (NAT) on Saturday, 10 May, to manufacture and deliver 21 new metro trains for Alexandria’s upcoming electric metro line, according to a statement by the Egyptian cabinet.
The contract, announced during Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly’s visit to NERIC’s factory in East Port Said on Saturday, includes the supply of 189 railcars, spare parts, equipment, and a comprehensive maintenance plan spanning 10 years. This includes a major overhaul and is expected to be completed within 38 months.
The trains are part of the larger Alexandria Metro project, a €1.3 billion (about EGP 68 billion) initiative led by NAT to transform and modernize the city’s public transport. The new line will stretch 43 kilometers and be built in three phases.
Prime Minister Madbouly emphasized that the project is a direct implementation of President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi’s directives to expand Egypt’s network of sustainable and environmentally friendly public transport options.
“This signing reflects our commitment to building a modern, efficient, and green mass transit network that eases movement for citizens and elevates the standard of services they receive,” he said.
This latest contract builds on a series of localization efforts, including a previous agreement between the Ministry of Transport and NERIC, alongside South Korea’s Hyundai Rotem, to manufacture 40 metro trains (320 railcars) for Cairo’s second and third metro lines.
First Phase Underway and Key Benefits
Construction has already begun on the first phase of the Alexandria Metro, which stretches 21.7 kilometers from Abu Qir Station to Misr Station in central Alexandria. The line includes a 6.5 km surface track from Misr Station to just before Al-Dhaheriya Station, followed by a 15.2 km elevated track leading to Abu Qir, with a total of 20 stations.
The second and third phases will expand the metro line westward: 8 kilometers to El-Max and then a further 15.5 kilometers to Borg El-Arab. The extension will eventually connect with Egypt’s national high-speed rail network, linking Alexandria to Alamein and the New Administrative Capital.
The metro project is set to be operational by 2026 and promises to deliver a shift in Alexandria’s public transportation landscape. Designed to be fully electric, the system will reduce traffic congestion and fossil fuel consumption while boosting capacity and efficiency.
Key improvements include increasing passenger capacity from 2,850 to 60,000 passengers per hour per direction, reducing travel time from 50 minutes to 25 minutes, boosting operational speed from 25 km/h to 100 km/h, and decreasing headway time between trains from 10 minutes to 2.5 minutes.
The metro will also offer integration with other transit systems, including the Cairo–Alexandria railway (at Misr and Sidi Gaber stations), the Raml tram (at Victoria and Sidi Gaber), and the Rashid railway line (at Maamoura Station).
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