A consortium made up of Siemens Mobility, Orascom Construction and The Arab Contractors has signed a contract with the Egyptian National Authority for Tunnels NAT to design, install and commission a 1,800 kilometre high-speed rail network in Egypt. The contract includes the latest rail infrastructure technology, eight depots and yards and a 15-year maintenance agreement. Consortium Finalises Contract to Build Egypt’s High-Speed Rail System© Siemens Mobility When complete, the new high-speed network will become the world’s sixth-largest. It will connect 60 cities across Egypt, enabling approximately 500 million journeys a year on trains that travel up to 230km an hour. Siemens Mobility’s share of the combined contract is billion euros USD, and includes the initial contract for the first line, which was signed by the two organisations last September. Valued at euros USD, this earlier contract is for a 660km-long line that will connect the port cities of Ain Sokhna on the Red Sea to Marsa Matrouh and Alexandria on the Mediterranean. The 1,100 km-long second line will run between Cairo and Abu Simbel near the Sudan border, while the third and final line will link Luxor with Hurghada by the Red Sea via a 225km-long track. The fully electrified network will cut carbon emissions by 70% when compared to current car or bus transport, moving the country closer to achieving its sustainable mobility goals. Roland Busch, President and Chief Executive Officer CEO of Siemens AG, said“The opportunity to provide Egypt with a modern, safe and affordable transportation system that will transform the everyday for millions of Egyptians, create thousands of local jobs and reduces CO2 emissions in transport, is an honour for us. “Not only will it promote economic growth, it will also enable Egypt to take a leap forward in rail transportation. “With our latest technology in rolling stock, signalling and maintenance services, Egypt will have the sixth largest and most modern high-speed rail network in the world. “In addition, it is the biggest order in the history of Siemens!” As part of this project, Siemens Mobility will deliver 41 Velaro eight-car high-speed trains, 94 Desiro high-capacity four car regional train sets and 41 Vectron freight locomotives. It will also install a signalling system based on the ETCS Level 2 technology across all three lines, as well as the power supply system, and its Railigent digital application will also be used to provide asset management and maintenance.
HighSpeed Rail Siemens Mobility Vectron Locomotives Velaro Suppliers Siemens Mobility A consortium made up of Siemens Mobility, Orascom Construction and The Arab Contractors has signed a contract with the Egyptian National Authority for Tunnels (NAT) to design, install and commission a 1,800 kilometre high-speed rail network in Egypt.[1/2] An electric Multiple Unit high-speed train is seen during Hot Sliding Test in Tegalluar, Bandung, West Java province, Indonesia, May 19, 2023, in this photo taken by Antara Foto. Antara Foto/Raisan Al Farisi/via REUTERS JAKARTA, June 7 Reuters - Indonesia's transport ministry and three consultants have pushed back on a China-funded consortium's plan to start full commercial operations of the country's $ billion first high-speed train service in August, an internal document flagship project of President Joko Widodo - and part of China's Belt and Road Initiative BRI - the 142 km 88 miles line from capital Jakarta to the large city of Bandung being built by a consortium of Indonesian and Chinese state firms is already $ billion over the initial budget and four years behind smooth opening of the railway line, the most high-profile BRI project in Southeast Asia's largest economy, as part of Independence Day celebrations would be a shot in the arm for its ruling party ahead of a general election next year, analysts said."A further delay will only become ammunition for the opposition to attack," said Teuku Rezasyah, an international relations analyst at Padjadjaran University, adding that setbacks would taint China's credibility to develop and deliver big projects in the before its proposed commercial launch in August, the showpiece project is beset by fresh problems, with the consortium's Chinese participants wanting a full operational worthiness certificate for the line despite an incomplete station, a 48-page presentation reviewed by Reuters the transport ministry and consultants Mott MacDonald, PwC and local law firm Umbra have suggested that full-fledged commercial operations could start in January 2024, the "Progress Update" report dated May 14 shows."There is a risk that the target of commercial operations in August could be delayed to complete all construction by December 31," said the report, written in the local restructuring at PT Wijaya Karya Tbk WIKA - an Indonesian state-owned construction firm with an indirect minority stake in the consortium - is also hitting the working capital needs of the project, which has already accumulated at least $ million in outstanding payments, another internal document corporate secretary Mahendra Vijaya said the company had the financial capacity to finish the remaining work, but it also needed the consortium to pay it for work already is negotiating with China on an additional $560 million loan and asking for an interest rate of for the portion of the loan in yuan, which is lower than the China Development Bank CDB offer of according to a second set of documents dated May possibility of a further delay and other details in the two documents have not been previously Hario Seto, a senior official with the investment coordinating ministry, said debt negotiations were underway with CDB, focused on the interest railway plans to begin a free trial with passengers in mid-August, with paid trips expected in September and the incomplete station likely finished by November, he embassy in Jakarta directed questions on the date of operation and the issuance of certificate to the Indonesian government."Currently, the project is undergoing integrated test and commissioning," an embassy spokesperson said on declined to comment. China-backed consortium PT KCIC, Mott MacDonald, Umbra, CDB did not respond to requests for AND DOUBTSThe fresh loan is needed to help cover a $ billion cost KCIC was awarded the project in 2015 after lodging a cheaper proposal than a Japanese rival, with completion expected in 2019. But the project has been plagued by delays due to land ownership disputes, questions over its economic impact and the COVID-19 and cost blowouts are not uncommon in high-speed rail projects globally, including in Western KCIC expects it will take 40 years for its investment to become profitable, twice as long as initial estimates, an executive said last tickets on the line will cost up to 350,000 rupiah $ depending on the distance travelled, according to PT KCIC, nearly a quarter of the average Indonesian's weekly planned 45-minute train ride between Jakarta and Bandung compares with a car journey of two to three hours or the current three-hour rail with the terminal stations located outside the city centres, the high-speed rail line could struggle to attract the business passengers being targeted, said Sutanto Soehodho, a transportation analyst at the University of Indonesia."They value time and seek convenience," he said. "But if they need to transit again, why should they use it?"Locating the stations in central Jakarta and Bandung would have been too costly, ministry official Seto said.$1 = 14, rupiahReporting by Stefanno Sulaiman; Writing by Devjyot Ghoshal; Editing by Jamie FreedOur Standards The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. NnU0JM.