Recently, the first and second phases of the Egyptian tenth of Ramadan suburban railway project undertaken by Chinese companies have been officially put into operation, providing efficient and convenient transportation services for people traveling to and from the old city of Cairo, the capital of Egypt, and the new administrative capital.

Egyptian citizens experiencing the train

According to the China Railway-AVIC International Consortium, the general contractor of the project, the first and second phases of the suburban railway project on the 10th of Ramadan will start trial operation in July 2022, and the sub-systems will be gradually accepted and handed over on November 23. As of December 10, a total of about 255,000 passengers have been sent, and the ticket revenue has totaled about 3.665 million Egyptian pounds, of which 1 US dollar is equivalent to about 24 Egyptian pounds.

Suburban Railways for the Tenth of Ramadan in Egypt

The Suburban Railway for the Tenth of Ramadan in Egypt is located in the east of Cairo. It is an important link connecting the urban area of Cairo with the new administrative capital, the Tenth of Ramadan City and satellite cities along the eastern route. It is also one of the flagship projects of the China-Egypt One Belt One Road cooperation. According to the China Railway-AVIC International Consortium, the total length of the first and second phases of the project is about 70 kilometers, with a total of 12 stations, 1 depot and 2 traction substations. The train adopts 6 fixed formations, and the maximum running speed is 120 kilometers per hour. Due to the good cooperation between China and Egypt in the first and second phases of the project, the Egyptian Ministry of Communications and the project owner, the Egyptian National Tunnel Bureau, plan to entrust the Chinese side to continue the implementation of the north-south extension of the suburban railway project on the 10th of Ramadan.

Benefiting 5 million people

The suburban railway project on the 10th of Ramadan in Egypt has a total length of about 70 kilometers, with 12 stations along the way. The starting station is located at the Adly Mansour transportation hub, connecting with Cairo Metro Line 3 and Cairo-Suez Railway Station, passing through satellite cities such as Abour, Future, Shorouk, and Badr along the way, and finally arriving at Arts and Culture, the new administrative capital of Egypt. The opening and operation of this project will provide efficient and convenient commuter transportation services for 5 million residents traveling between the old city of Cairo and the new capital. A consortium formed by AVIC International and China Railway Group is responsible for the construction.

More than building a railway

According to the integration requirements of construction and operation of this project, the consortium formed by AVIC International and China Railway Group will not only be responsible for the EPC general contracting project of the entire project, but will also provide 2-year operation supervision support and 12-year maintenance services for this project.

On July 3, 2022, Egyptian President Sisi took a car, accompanied by the Minister of Transport, and the driver was an Egyptian employee trained by us

In order to ensure the smooth and long-term operation of the project after its opening, AVIC International also cooperates with the domestic railway vocational education college to train follow-up operation and maintenance professionals for Egypt. The 56 international students in the first and second phases completed their two-year studies in China and carried out internships on the project, becoming the backbone of the Egyptian railway operation and maintenance field. The follow-up training arrangements are still going on, and it has become a sustainable talent training mechanism for China-Egypt cooperation.

Future can be expected

In view of the good cooperation between China and Egypt in the first and second phases of the Egyptian light rail project, the Egyptian Ministry of Communications and the owner, the National Tunnel Bureau, plan to entrust AVIC International to continue the implementation of the north-south extension of the Ramadan Tenth City Railway Project in Egypt, that is, the Ramadan Tenth City Railway Project Phase III and Phase IV projects. With the active efforts of AVIC International, the Belt and Road Initiative will take root in Egypt and bear fruitful results. Editor/He Yuting