EGYPT: The first of 70 four-car Innovia 300 driverless monorail trainsets for two lines which are under construction in Cairo has been rolled out at Alstom’s Derby plant in the UK.
In August 2019, Egypt’s National Authority for Tunnels and a consortium of Bombardier Transportation (now Alstom), Orascom Construction and Arab Contractors signed a US$4·5bn contract to design, build, operate and maintain a 54 km monorail line connecting the New Administrative City with East Cairo and a 42 km line connecting 6th of October City with Giza.
Alstom’s US$2·85bn share includes the supply of rolling stock and E&M systems including Cityflo 650 signalling, communications, an operations control centre, platform screen doors, a fare collection system, power supplies and depot equipment.
The two lines are expected to open in 2023, with the consortium then providing 30 years of operation and maintenance services.
The British government has provided a £1·7bn export finance guarantee, the largest amount of financing that UK Export Finance has ever provided for an overseas infrastructure project. The vehicles are being produced at Derby under the plant’s first rolling stock export order since the supply of EMUs to the Gautrain project in South Africa was completed in 2008.
‘Thanks to great teamwork and dedication, we have shipped the first Innovia monorail unit earlier than expected’, said Andrew DeLeone, President, Alstom Africa, Middle East & Central Asia, on June 25.
