British Ambassador to Egypt visits Derby-built Cairo Monorail
Posted on 13th September 2024 at 09:55
Alstom, together with its partners – has welcomed His Majesty’s Ambassador to the Arab Republic of Egypt, Gareth Bayley OBE, to witness the construction of the new Cairo Monorail system.
As part of the visit, he was able to enjoy a test run inside one of the British-built four-car Alstom Innovia 300 units that will serve passengers along the 61-mile-long network once operational.
The British Ambassador was joined by the Egyptian Deputy Minister of Transport, Wagdy Radwan, and Chairman of the National Authority for Tunnels, Dr. Gen. Tarek H. Gewaily, where they also visited Alstom’s main workshop and control centre, as well as one of the system’s 35 stations.
The Cairo Monorail trains were assembled and tested at Alstom’s historic Derby Litchurch Lane Works as part of a £2.3 billion contract to construct and run the new Egyptian network. This marked the first export of UK-manufactured rolling stock since Derby-built trains were supplied to South Africa for the Gautrain rail system in 2008.
In total, 272 monorail cars for Cairo were assembled and tested in Derby, which is also home to Alstom’s Global Centre of Excellence for Monorail.
“I was impressed by my visit to Cairo’s brand-new Monorail where I tested the cutting-edge train carriages that the brilliant Alstom team have produced,” said Gareth Bayley OBE, His Majesty’s Ambassador to the Arab Republic of Egypt.
“We were honored to welcome the British Ambassador, along with the Egyptian Deputy Minister of Transport and Chairman of the National Authority for Tunnels, for a site tour of our advanced monorail system. This visit was a testament to the strong partnership between the UK and Egypt, reflecting our shared commitment to innovative infrastructure projects for the country,” said Ben Lezala, Cairo Monorail Project Director at Alstom.
British Ambassador to Egypt visits Derby-built Cairo Monorail (Alstom)
He added: “Our discussions underscored the importance of collaborative efforts in driving environmentally friendly mobility forward. By working together, we are developing integrated transport solutions that not only enhance efficiency and connectivity but also promote sustainable practices, contributing to the development of smarter and more resilient cities that meet the growing demands of urban populations.”
The new system will transport up to 45,000 passengers an hour in each direction, with a 90-second headway during peak hours. It will offer air conditioning, clear customer information screens and an affordable mode of public transport to mitigate congestion throughout the Cairo metropolitan area.
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