ENR to launch tender for railway line upgrades early 2025: The Egyptian National Railways is planning to launch a tender for the development of the Tanta-Mansoura-Damietta railway line next January, Al Borsa reports, citing informed sources. Project consultants Shaker Group and the multinational Systra will complete the tender documents by the end of this month, according to the sources.

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Five consortiums in the running: Five local and international consortiums have qualified to participate in the tender they are: Alstom – El Rowad, Thales -Orascom, China’s CRSC, Siemens- Madkour Group, and South Korea’s LS Electric – Korea National Railway, the sources said. The consortiums will submit their technical and financial bids between early January and February, with evaluation set to kick off in March.

What upgrades? The upgrades involve double-tracking a 65-km stretch of the 118 km line and installing an automated signaling system. The upgrades are set to improve reliability and safety for passengers, increase the capacity to transport goods to and from the port of Damietta, and reduce carbon emissions

Who will do what? The local company will work on infrastructure, while the foreign partner will handle everything else, from signaling systems to communication systems.

Refresher: The European Investment Bank (EIB) and the French Development Agency (AFD) have signed agreements with the Egyptian government in late 2022 to fund the project. The EIB is extending an EUR 221 mn loan, while the AFD will lend EUR 95 mn to the project.

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