EBRD to plug EUR 35 mn into Egypt’s Robeiky-Tenth of Ramadan-Belbeis railway line

Egypt to secure railway funding: Egypt is set to receive a EUR 35 mn sovereign loan from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) to build the 69-km Robeiky-10th of Ramadan-Belbeis railway by the end of October, Asharq Business reports, citing a document it has seen. Once delivered, the loan is to be repaid over a period of up to 18 years.

REMEMBER- The rail line will link the 10th of Ramadan Dry Port to the main rail network and seaports, bypassing the Cairo railway junction and serving both freight and commuter traffic between Robeiky, 10th of Ramadan, and Belbeis. The project — to be implemented in collaboration with the French Development Agency — is forecasted to cost some USD 285 mn.

SOUND FAMILIAR? The EBRD approved up to EUR 40 mn sovereign loan for the rail project back in 2022.

Four consortiums reportedly submitted bids in September for the project, which is slated for completion within three years after contracts are finalized. The line will allow for a modal shift of cargo and passenger transport from road to rail, and will contribute to reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Who’s interested? The bidders include a consortium of France’s Alstom, Egypt’s Concrete Plus, and Rowad Modern Engineering; a consortium of CBS Group subsidiary GTS and Orascom Construction; one comprising Hitachi, Italy’s Mermec and Salchef, and Egypt’s Hazeq; and a solo offer from Dhaka Bangladesh Group.