Egypt to receive the 1st batch of Spanish air-conditioned trains in days

CAIRO – 24 January 2022: The Egyptian Railways Authority is preparing to receive the first batch of Spanish air-conditioned trains contracted with the Spanish company Talgo within days.

The batch was shipped by sea from Spain towards the port of Alexandria.

The deal includes six trains being manufactured in Spain at a total cost of 126 million euros, to be financed through a soft loan provided by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, official sources told Egypt Today.

He pointed out that the entire deal trains are expected to arrive by the end of 2022, as these will work on the main line from Alexandria to Aswan and back.

The anonymous sources added that the deal includes the manufacture and supply of 6 trains, and each train consists of a tractor, a power car (the train cars are fed with air conditioning), a buffet car, 5 air-conditioned first-class cars and 8 second-class air-conditioned cars, pointing out that it was agreed with the Spanish manufacturer to increase the 6 trains.

The sources indicated that the seventh train, which is planned to be supplied by the Spanish company, comes as compensation to the railway authority by the manufacturer for its delay in supplying these trains according to the time schedule agreed upon during the first half of 2021.

The new trains will be made of aluminum, which reduces their weight, ans helps to save the train’s consumption of fuel in the journey, and it is also resistant to rust and therefore does not corrode from the water used in the cleanliness and maintenance of trains. They also have designated places for people with special needs, each seat of the first air-conditioned carriages is equipped with a display screen, in addition to the presence of central screens in the second-class air-conditioned carriages, and there will be surveillance cameras in the trains to secure the passengers.