Egypt Receives 1st Batch of Spanish Trains

Egypt received the first batch of Spanish Talgo trains on Monday, official sources at the Ministry of Transport revealed. 

The new trains are part of a €158 million ($183.6 million) contract Talgo signed with the Egyptian National Railways (ENR) in April 2019 for the construction and maintenance of six new high-speed trains.

The project – financed by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) – would see Talgo supplying six diesel-electric locomotives, six power cars, 48 second-class, and 30 first-class air-conditioned coaches, and six restaurant cars.

These will be operated on Egypt’s main route of the country, to connect the cities of Alexandria, Cairo, and Aswan.

Each train has a seating capacity for 492 passengers and is designed to withstand extreme weather conditions, ranging between 50ºC and 55ºC.

The deal includes six trains being manufactured in Spain at a total cost of 126 million euros, to be financed through a soft loan provided by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development.

The entire deal trains are expected to arrive by the end of 2022, as these will work on the mainline from Alexandria to Aswan and back.