Egypt inks several railway agreements at TransMEA: Egypt’s Transport Ministry inked a terms and conditions agreement, as well as two memorandums of understanding (MoUs) in the railway sector on the second day of TransMEA, according to a statement. The agreements allow the country to localize the manufacturing of several key parts of railway networks, including wagons and signaling devices.

#1- Signaling devices: The Egyptian National Railway Industries Company (NERIC) inked an MoU withSpain’s CBS Group’s subsidiary GTS to set up a manufacturing plant for signaling devices. The plant— which will be set up over an area of 1k square meters — will supply the railway authority with spare parts for signaling devices, according to the statement. The companies will also look to train technicians and engineers with international companies. GTS is looking to position Egypt as its hub for supplying signaling devices, through which they will serve the Middle East, Africa and other regions, the statement added.

#2- Localizing wagons: The Egyptian National Railways Authority inked a terms and conditions agreement with the Egyptian National Railway Industries Company (NERIC) to manufacture 500 wagons, along with their maintenance and spare parts, over the span of 15 years, the statement added. This marks the first phase in manufacturing 1k wagons between the Egyptian National Railway Authority and NERIC. The agreement makes Egypt the first in the region to manufacture mobile units, the statement said.

#3- Boosting maintenance capabilities: The railway authority also inked an MoU with Czech carmaker Škoda to boost cooperation in managing and operating unit maintenance workshops, the statement said. The agreement encompasses enhancing technical capabilities, and equipping the workshops with advanced technologies.

ALSO FROM TRANSMEA-

The event also saw several agreements for Egypt’s 2k-km high-speed rail, according to a separate statement. The railway, which will run 660 km between Ain Sokhna, Alexandria and Marsa Matrouh, is being developed by a consortium of Siemens Mobility, Orascom Construction and Arab Contractors. The first leg of the line, from Alexandria to Ain Sokhna, includes a freight line that Siemens has called a “Suez Canal on tracks” (watch, runtime: 2:32).

#1- The Delta Development Consortium (DDC) and Chinese firm CRIC inked an MoU to establish a high-speed rail line between Port Said and Abu Qir under a build-operate-transfer (BOT) agreement.

#3- Orascom Construction, Arab Contractors, and Elsewedy Electric also inked an MoU to design, supply, and install electromechanical systems at the first line (Ain Sokhna - Al Alamein) of the railway.

Egypt also inked MoUs with Morocco for railway cooperation + road safety: Morocco’s Transport Minister Mohammad Abdeljalil also inked agreements with Egypt’s Transport Minister Kamel Al Wazir during the event, according to a separate statement. The first MoU is focused on the bolstersting skill sets, exchange of expertise, and road safety, while the second MoU focuses on developing bilateral cooperation in railway transport, including through setting up a working group that schedules annual visits to exchange expertise, the outlet adds. The pair also signed an MoU for the mutual recognition of crew certificates in maritime transport.

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