French company to build Egypt’s 330km high-speed rail line

French contractor NGE and its subsidiary TSO have won a deal to build 330km of high-speed rail line in Egypt.

NGE has signed a deal to build the new 330km high-speed rail line in Egypt (Image courtesy of NGE)

The double-track line will connect the cities of Ain Al Sokhna and Borg El Arab, through the October 6 City.

NGE said it would form part of what will become the world’s sixth-largest high-speed rail network.

Germany company Siemens Mobility signed a deal last year to develop the lines linking 60 cities across the country.

Trails will travel at a top speed of 230 kilometres per hour once the fully electrified lines are complete.

NGE expects to start work on the 330km line this year. Initially, it will involve mobilising around 500 people. The company will provide expertise, human and material resources to local companies Orascom and Arab Contractors.

The line is 10km longer than the 320km South East Atlantic line in France. The line, completed in 2017, is the longest high-speed rail line NGE has worked on to date.

The business has taken a role in installing 2,500km of high-speed lines across the world in total. It has already completed rail projects in Egypt such as lines 1 and 3 of the Cairo metro. It also renewed tracks on the Banha-Port Said regional line and more recently the delivery of the LRT 10th of Ramadan, a new regional line linking Cairo to Egypt’s new administrative capital.

Orso Vesperini, COO international and major projects at NGE, said, “We are proud to make a significant contribution to this project, which will provide nearly 90% of the Egyptian population with access to fast and reliable public transport.

“It will also make a significant contribution to sustainability by shifting freight traffic to rail and stimulating Egypt’s economic development.”

Paris-based NGE has an annual revenue of 2.8 billion Euros and employs 16,000 people across 17 countries, making it one of France’s four biggest construction and civil engineering companies.