ENR and Italy’s Salcef partner to revamp railway infrastructure: The Egyptian National Railways (ENR) has partnered with Italian rail construction and maintenance firm Salcef Group to form a new joint venture, Salcef Track, that will oversee the development, renewal, and maintenance of Egypt’s railway infrastructure over the next 25 years, according to an Industry Ministry statement.

We saw this coming: Back in November we heard that Salcef was mulling establishing a new company in collaboration with Egyptian Railways for Track Renewal and Maintenance Company (ERTRAC) for the renewal of some 2k km of railway tracks and the provision of railway renewal machinery and equipment.

The details: Salcef Track will begin by renovating 300 km of rail lines and 200 switches at a rate of at least 100 km of rail lines and 70 switches annually, with the company aiming to renovate 2.5k km of tracks and 1.75k switches by the end of the partnership. The company will also support the construction of new lines — including those under ENR’s purview and other Transport Ministry initiatives — and has ambitions to work on railway projects elsewhere in Africa and the Middle East.

This isn’t the only rail partnership that’s getting the government’s attention: Transport and Industry Minister Kamel El Wazir noted that the new partnership is just one of a number of similar companies the ministry is currently expanding, with others including ERTRAC and Egyfrail, alongside efforts to increase the role of the private sector.

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