The German company Siemens Mobility just announced the delivery of a Desiro High-Capacity train to Alexandria – the very first of 176 trains for Egypt, according to Railfreight.com. These trains are part of a broader contract to build a high-speed train network in Egypt in partnership with the Egyptian engineering and construction companies, Oascom Construction and The Arab Contractors.
The 2,000-kilometer network involves three rail lines. The first line will be 660 kilometers and will connect the port cities of Ain Sokhna on the Red Sea, Alexandria, and Marsa Matrouh on the Mediterranean. It includes an electrified commuter system for Greater Cairo. The second line will be 1,100 kilometers long and run between Greater Cairo and Abu Simbel near the Sudan border, supporting urban development to the south. The third line will cover 225 kilometers, connecting the archaeological site in Luxor with Hurghada and Safaga harbor on the Red Sea. It will ease freight transport, since it will create a rail link from the Red Sea to the Mediterranean. Once completed it will be the sixth-longest high-speed network in the world.
The train set just delivered is part of a contract signed in May 2022 by Siemens Mobility to deliver a fleet of 41 Velaro high-speed trains with eight cars each, 94 Desiro regional train sets featuring four cars, and 41 Vectron freight locomotives. Siemens will also implement a signaling system founded on European Train Control System (ETCS) Level 2 technology and a power supply system, the construction of eight depots and yards, and a 15-year maintenance agreement to ensure long-term operational excellence. The three company consortium was awarded the 8.1- billion-euro contract, which included the initial contract of 2.7 billion euros signed in 2021.
