French Co. to Run 3rd Line of Cairo Metro Starting June 25: Minister

On Monday, the Egyptian Minister of Transport, Kamel al-Wazir, announced that a French company is set to operate the third line of the metro starting from June 25 and the electric light rail for 15 years.

During a phone interview with Ahmed Moussa on Moussa’s TV program “Ala Massoulity”, Wazir explained that the company will train Egyptian transport cadres.

He also confirmed that ticket and metro prices will not be impacted.

President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi has approved the appointment of 300 engineers, and 1,000 technicians to work in the railways, and 180 engineers will be trained at the Military College, he said.

The minister added that train drivers will receive six-month training in the US, stressing that no train drivers will be terminated.

The government aims to overhaul railway facilities through periodic updating of infrastructure and coaches, focusing on safety and aiming to utilize unconventional methods to provide further resources to implement developmental plans.

Egypt’s Transport Ministry receives on Monday 22 more passenger railway coaches from the Russian Transmashholding company, bringing the total to 407 coaches.

This comes as part of a deal to manufacture and supply 1,300 coaches signed between the Egyptian National Railways (ENR) and Transmashholding (the representative of the Russian-Hungarian alliance) at a cost of 1.16 billion euros.

This batch consists of third-class coaches with dynamic ventilation, with the rest of the coaches arriving according to schedule.

The new coaches are entered into service according to the ENR’s daily operating schedule so that citizens each month can see them operating firsthand – all part of the ministry’s efforts to improve its services.

The railway system’s strides in development come from the great interest that President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has attached to developing the transport sector, providing all capabilities to upgrade it according to the latest global technologies.

Egypt signed a contract back in 2018 with the Russian-Hungarian Transmashholding Company to supply 1,300 train coaches to the ENR.

The largest deal in the ENR’s history, it represents a qualitative shift in the services provided to passengers in Egypt.

The deal includes 500 third-class units with forced ventilation, 500 third-class units with air-conditioning, 180 second-class units with air-conditioning, 30 second-class units with air-conditioning and buffets, and 90 first-class units with air-conditioning.