The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) has granted Egypt $306m in funding for the implementation of the first phase of Line 4 of the Cairo Metro. This was announced by the Egyptian Ministry of International Cooperation.
“The funds will be used to help the government’s efforts to encourage sustainable urban mobility and create transportation systems that can ease traffic in Cairo,” the ministry stressed.
According to JICA, the project aims to meet transportation demand and mitigate traffic congestion. It also aims to improve air pollution in the Greater Cairo Area by constructing a new metro in the southwest of Greater Cairo and in the city centre of Cairo.
Furthermore, the Japanese ODA financing will be subject to the Special Terms for Economic Partnership (STEP) plan. With Japanese systems and trains being installed at the Cairo metro.
The core contract under STEP is tied to Japan, whereas subcontracting is generally untied. With a 40-year repayment term and a 10-year grace period, the loan’s annual interest rate is set at 0.1 per cent for projects and consulting services, respectively, and it has a 0.01 per cent annual interest rate overall.
Reported earlier
Aug 2014
Egypt scouts for funds for metro Third Line 3, Phase IV
The government of Egypt is looking for USD 26B to finance the fourth phase of the expansion of the Cairo Metro Third Line.
Egypt’s government is keen to invest in the Cairo Metro Third Line so that it can boost its already wounded economy, which is recovering from the political turmoil that started in 2011.
Chairman of National Authority for Tunnels (NAT) Ismail El-Nagdy revealed, last week, that the government is in the final stages of scouting for funding for the project, and it is expected to make a major announcement by the end of August on its final decision to finance the fourth phase.
According to Ismail El-Nagdy, the Abdel Fattah el-Sisi government is willing to start next October, the implementation process of the fourth phase.
Cairo Metro’s Line 3 project
The phase of the Cairo Metro’s Line 3 project is divided into three sections. The first section is the western branch of Cairo Metro’s Line 3 that connects Attaba Station with the Gamal Abdel Nasser Station through the 26th of July Street.
It then continues on its way up onto northern Maspero where a new station is to be constructed and run over the northern and western side of the Nile River passing through Zamalek Island at Zamalek Station and ending at Kit Kat Station under the Kit Kat Square. This section is set to be completed by December 2021.
Phase 3- section 2 starts from Kit Kat Station heading towards Sudan Street where another new station will be situated then towards Imbaba to the cross point of 6 October West Wing highway and Alexandria freight railway then it ends at Rod Al-Farag Corridor Station.
Upon completion in June 2022, this section will have 6 new stations. Section 3-Phase 3 begins at Kit Kat Station heading towards Al Tawfikiya where we expect a new station as well, passing through Mohandessin (Wadi Al-Nile Station, Gamaet Al-Dowal Station) then heading to Bulak Al-Dakror Station. Line 2 and Line 3 shall be connected at the Cairo University Station of Line 2. This section is set for completion in November 2022.
March 2015
Alstom awarded Metro 3 signalling contract in Egypt
Alstom has been awarded two contracts worth US$88 million in the construction of the Cairo metro 3 line to supply infrastructure and the signalling system for the ongoing phase 4A construction works.
This follows the agreement signed between Alstom and Egypt’s National Authority for Tunnels (NAT). Gian-Luca Erbacci, Senior Vice-President of Alstom Transport for the Middle East and Africa said they were pleased that Alstom was trusted for the new contract.
Alstom will provide a ventilation system, points machines, elevators, power supply for the third rail, Urbalis 200 signalling systems and equipment, and electromechanical equipment. The company will also modernize signalling systems on the Beni Suef to Asyut railway line and has previously supplied signalling systems for lines 1 and 2.
Cairo Metro 3 is the main line of the Cairo Metro mass transit system in greater Cairo and currently connects Attaba in east-central Cairo with Abbasia and Heliopolis to the northeast. In the future, it will serve Cairo International Airport.
The project to expand the Metro 3 line will take place in four phases and will include building a main and a light repair workshop. The construction works of the line started in 2006 and it comprises 29 stations and is expected to be completed by 2019.
With this expansion, the line is set to increase the number of passengers carried per day from the current 3 to 5 million by 2020.
Nov 2015
Cairo metro’s line 3 construction project in Egypt to get equipment worth €190m
The Cairo metro’s line 3 construction project in Egypt will get equipment worth €190m for its phase 3 extension after Alstom secures a contract worth €190m from Egypt’s National Authority for Tunnels (NAT).
The contract will see the extended construction of line three and have the latest signalling, telecommunications, and electro-mechanical equipment. The 78 km-long Cairo metro network currently carries three million passengers a day and may reach five million by 2020.
The network includes two complete lines, with a third partially open due to construction in different phases. Currently under construction and scheduled to be completed in 2022, phase 3 comprises a 17.7km line extension and 15 extra stations.
When construction is completed, Cairo metro’s line 3 construction project in Egypt will be capable of carrying more than 1.5 million passengers a day, the country notes.
Under the deal, Alstom which is leading a consortium with Thales will offer its Urbalis signaling solution, including Iconis at the operating control center, point machines, and station signaling equipment. The signalling solution will allow safe and comfortable journeys for commuters and a short headway between trains.
A consortium comprising Alstom, Colas Rail, Orascom, and Arabco will supply electromechanical equipment, which includes power substations to feed the third-rail electrification, ventilation, escalators, and lifts.
Alstom Middle East and Africa senior vice-president Gian-Luca Erbacci said: “These new projects will undoubtedly strengthen our partnership with NAT that started more than 30 years ago. We are committed to accompanying our customers in the further development of Cairo’s metro network to meet the growing demand for mobility.”
The company has already provided Metropolis trains and infrastructure, signalling, and services solutions for lines 1 and 2 of Cairo Metro, and it has been awarded phases 1, 2, and 4a of line 3.
The company has also secured a contract to modernize the signalling systems on the regional railway line from Beni Suef to Asyut.
May 2016
Cairo metro line in Egypt set for Construction
The construction of the Cairo metro line in Egypt is set to kick off after Vinci and Bouygues Construction secured the contract from Egypt’s National Authority for Tunnels (NAT).
The construction project which is expected to cost the government $1.2 Billion will consist of three major phases and each company will work on the work according to the contract signed. The work under this project will be carried out by the joint venture led by Vinci Construction Grands Projets, alongside Bouygues Construction’s subsidiary Bouygues Travaux Publics and their Egyptian partners Orascom Construction and Arabco Contractors.
The 67-month project covers civil engineering for phase 3, which includes the construction of 17.7km of track and 15 new stations. It is reported that the works will require a new tunnel under the Nile. Following completion, Line 3 will increase the overall length of the Cairo metro system to 100km and serve five million passengers daily. The project is expected to create about 5,000 jobs and benefit a large number of French SMEs.
It is reported that in the previous phase of the project, which was handed over in 2014, Vinci and Bouygues called on more than 600 French SMEs as suppliers and subcontractors.
The Cairo metro expansion will also help to efficiently and effectively regulate traffic, as well as substantially reduce carbon dioxide emissions.
Additionally, the joint venture is also working on phase 4a of Line 3, which will extend the system towards the eastern part of the city and is expected to be completed by the end of 2018.
Last November, NAT awarded Alstom contracts worth approximately €190m to supply signalling, telecommunications, and electromechanical equipment for the phase 3 extension. The network includes two complete lines, with a third partially open due to construction in different phases.
Jun 2016
Orascom partners with Arab Contractors to construct the Cairo Metro Third Line
The construction of one of the most anticipated Cairo Metro third lines Is expected to kick off after Orascom and Arab Contractors jointly agreed to carry on the projects. According to the announcement made by Orascom Construction Limited (NASDAQ Dubai: OC) (EGX: ORAS) the project will be carried out 50-50 joint venture with Arab Contractors.
The report added that the two companies have so far signed a contract with the National Authority for Tunnels to execute Phase 4B of the Cairo Metro Third Line, according to a press statement on Thursday. The statement further added that the joint share of the contract is expected to cost the country about €295m.
“The joint venture will be responsible for the full scope of this new phase, which will stretch 6.1 km across a viaduct and five elevated stations,” the statement read. “Phase 4B follows the company’s previously announced contract awards for the third line of Cairo Metro”.
The company is currently executing contracts amounting to approximately €375m for Phase 3 and €90m for Phase 4A.
The project according to the statement is expected to start in a few weeks’ time and will be carried out in phases. This is expected to boost the transport sector of Egypt which has been having a slow-growing rate considering the fact that the population is also on the growth.
Orascom Construction Limited is an Egyptian-based engineering and construction contractor primarily focused on infrastructure, industrial, and high-end commercial projects in the Middle East, North Africa, the United States, and the Pacific Rim for public and private clients.
The Group also develops and invests in infrastructure opportunities while an Arab contractor is widely diversified and covers a wide spectrum of the construction industry and its ancillary services.
Feb 2017
Hyundai Rotem wins Cairo metro train contract
Egypt’s National Authority for Tunnels (NAT), a division of the Ministry of Transport, has selected Hyundai Rotem to supply 256 metro cars for the phase three extension of Cairo Metro Line 3, which is currently under construction.
The contract is worth Won 433bn ($US 377.5m) which Hyundai Rotem says is its largest-ever order in Africa. The contract also includes maintenance of the vehicles for eight years and Hyundai Rotem says it will collaborate with local partners in order to begin delivery of the trains in 2018 for completion by 2020. It adds that the trains will include components that are resilient in temperatures of up to 50°C, which are common during the Egyptian summer.
Hyundai Rotem says its previous successful delivery of 20 nine-car trains for Line 1, as well as backing from the Korean government, enabled it to secure the order. Financing is supported through a Foreign Economic Cooperation Fund EDCF) agreement as well as export financing provided by Korea’s Ministry of Strategy and Finance and the Export-Import Bank of Korea.
Phase 3 involves extending Line 3 by 17.7km from Attaba west to Kit Kat Square where the line will split. The northern branch will run via Embaba to Rod El-Farag, while the southern section will serve Cairo University. The extension will add 15 stations to the network and will increase traffic on Line 3 to more than 1.5 million passengers a year when it opens in 2022.
A consortium including Alstom and Thales is providing signalling, telecommunications, and electromechanical equipment for the project under a €187m contract awarded in November 2015.
Jun 2019
Egypt to open three Cairo Metro stations
Egypt is set to open three vital metro stations in Heliopolis for public use this weekend ahead of use as the country prepares to host the African Cup of Nations (AFCON) this month.
In a statement released by Egypt’s Ministry of Transport, Haroun El-Rashid, El-Shams Club, and Alf Maskan underground stations will be open for passengers starting 15 June for experimental operations. This comes after the rails were tested without passengers to access the functionality of rails and motor-driven systems.
Also Read: Uganda to invest US $205m in revamping its old meter gauge railway
Cairo Metro stations
The Cairo underground metro system is one of the city’s major means of transport and currently carries more than four million commuters daily through different routes and surrounding areas.
According to the Ministry, the new and ready stations will help ease congestion by transporting a large number of football fanatics attending the 2019 AFCON games from Alf Maskan, Heliopolis, and Gesr El Suez to a number of stadiums hosting the games which will be played in a period of 29 days and will include 30 June Stadium, Cairo International Stadium and El-Salam Stadium among others.
According to the Ministry, construction at the Heliopolis metro station will be completed by October with the first and second parts of the third line’s phase four set to be concluded by April 2020.
Heliopolis metro station is one of the biggest stations in the MENA region. The full Haroun El-Rashid – El-Shams Club extension covers a distance of 5.15 km and stops at four tunnel stations and one elevated station at El-Nozha. Construction works began in 2015.
Jul 2019
Construction of Cairo Metro Line 3 in Egypt on track
Construction of Cairo Metro’s Line 3 in Egypt is in good progress marking the beginning of stage 1 of the project’s third phase with the arrival of deep drilling machines.
Egypt’s Minister of Transportation, Kamel El-Wazir, in the presence of Egypt’s Prime Minister Dr. Moustafa Madbouly during a ceremony that marked the arrival of the machines at Gamal Abdel Nasser metro station, revealed that 20% of the line, spanning 17.7km across Cairo, was already complete. Also Read: Phase 1 of Tanzania’s Standard Gauge Railway to begin operation
Oct 2019
Egypt inaugurates the largest metro station in Africa and the Middle East
The government of Egypt, through the National Authority for Tunnels (NAT), has inaugurated the largest metro station in Africa and the entire Middle East region, on Line 3 of its Cairo metro.
Dubbed Heliopolis Station, the approximately US $116.8m facility which is fully funded by the Egyptian government is constructed on about 10,000 square meters piece of land at Heliopolis Square, a major square in the Heliopolis district.
The three-level station has a length of 225m, a width of 22m, and a depth of 28m from the street level. It took 100,000 square meters of concrete and 18,000 tonnes of steel for it to be completed.
Also Read: Egypt to open three Cairo Metro stations
Inside the new station
The new Heliopolis metro Station was established in accordance with the best international standards. It is fully air-conditioned and it features eight exits and entrances, 10 fixed stairways within the station , and eight on the outside, all totalling up to 18.
It also has four escalators, two from the street level to the ticket window level and two from the ticket window level to the metro platform, and an additional 17 escalators, eleven of which are situated inside and six from the street level to the ticket window level.
Furthermore, Heliopolis Metro Station is fitted with automated ATM machines for direct ticket purchases, as well as a digital signage system to assist in directing passengers within the facility.
Expectations for the Station
Heliopolis metro Station is expected to eliminate nearly two million commutes above ground, hence reducing Cairo’s traffic congestion and saving Egyptians close to US $14.2 million in public transportation costs.
Speaking during the launch, Kamel El-Wazir, the Minister for Transportation said that 5,000 square meters of the entire station are set aside for commercial use, which is expected to increase the Cairo metro’s financial returns as well as the country’s economy.
Jul 2020
Building begins to sink due to the ongoing construction of the Cairo Metro Line
The government of the Arab Republic of Egypt is set to repair the Sharbatly apartment building located in Cairo’s Zamalek neighbourhood. The building has been reported to have begun to sink on one side, causing the structure to lean as a result of the nearby digging related to the ongoing construction works on the Cairo Metro line extension.
Also Read: Egypt Begins Renovation of Suez Canal House
Cairo Governor Khaled Abdel Aal formed an engineering committee to inspect the property and demonstrate the extent of the damage and how long it would take to repair. The committee reported that the building has only had severe damages whose repair works would not exceed two weeks.
The residents have already evacuated the building to give way for the Arab Contractors (Osman Ahmed Osman & Co.)and Orascom Construction companies to carry out the repair works, after being handed approximately US$ 1,877 to cover temporary housing until they are able to return to the building.
The Sharbatly building
The Sharbatly building consists of two parts, the first part overlooks Brazil Street and consists of 12 floors and 37 apartments while the second part of the building overlooks Aziz Abaza Street, and has 11 floors containing 33 apartments.
According to Egypt’s Minister of Transportation Kamel El-Wazir, the damage may have been caused by a heavy-duty machine that dug from the direction of the River Nile to within 200 meters of the building’s location. He also emphasized that no other properties within the area have been affected.
The Cairo Metro Line 3 runs from Heliopolis or Masr El Gedida (New Cairo) in the lower region of Egypt to the Attaba district in Downtown Cairo, and on through Maspero to a new Zamalek stop, before heading towards the densely populated district of Imbaba on the Giza side of the River Nile.
Nov 2020
Egypt awards contracts for the implementation of the Cairo Metro Line 4 project
The government of Egypt through the Ministry of Transport has awarded two contracts for the execution of the first phase of the Cairo Metro Line 4 project connecting the El Malek El Saleh Station in central Cairo with the Hadayek El Ashgar Station in Giza, a distance of about 19 kilometres.
Also Read: Raml tram in Alexandria, Egypt, set for rehabilitation and modernization
The contracts concern the civil works package (CP401) for the western part of the aforementioned Phase, and the railway systems, track, and depot works package (CP411) for the entire Phase.
The contractors
The first contract concerning civil works (CP401) was awarded to a consortium that includes Hassan Allam Holding subsidiary Hassan Allam Construction, the Arab Contractors, Petrojet, and Concord. The scope of the work includes the construction of 12 metro stations, 11 of which will be situated underground, from Hadaek Al Ashgar on the 6th of October City to El Mesaha station on Al-Haram Street, a distance of approximately 13.7 kilometres.
The second contract which entails the railway systems, track, and depot works (CP411) was awarded to the Orascom Construction consortium with Mitsubishi Corporation. Valued at about US$ 800M, the contract entails the installation of signalling systems, power supply systems, telecommunication systems, platform screen doors, automatic fare collection systems as well as track laying works, and the construction of a depot/workshop. The two remaining packages to be awarded concern the civil works for the eastern part of the phase and the procurement of rolling stock.
Financing and expectations for the project
The project will be financed by a Japanese Yen Credit Loan, equivalent to about US$ 315M provided by the Japanese International Corporation Agency (JICA) under the condition of the Special Technical Economic Partnership (STEP).
Upon completion this phase will make it possible for passengers to transfer to Line 1 at El Malek El Saleh Station and Line 2 at Giza Station, facilitating their movement and alleviating heavy road traffic. Additionally, this line is expected to ensure greater convenience for tourists looking to visit the Great Pyramids as well as the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM).
May 2021
Egypt eyeing construction of Cairo Metro Line 6
The government of Egypt through the Ministry of Transport is currently working on a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Bechtel Corporation, an American engineering, procurement, construction, and project management company, for the construction of a 30-kilometer Cairo Metro Line 6.
This was made public by the Minister of Transport, Kamel El-Wazir, who affirmed that the two parties have had a look at the contracts and quickly reached a near agreement. “However,” the minister said, “We told them to submit an offer on paper. If we reach an agreement, we will begin working at once and expedite all the contracts and agreements.”
Also Read: Egypt, Sudan to construct new port in Wadi Halfa, Northern state of Sudan
This project is estimated to cost about US$ 5bn. The Egyptian minister of transport assured that the North African country has already secured finance for the metro line from Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, France, and Japan.
Agreement for modernization of Cairo’s metro system
Egypt’s National Railways Industry Company, on the other hand, has signed an agreement with South Korea’s Hyundai Rotem to modernize Cairo’s metro system. This agreement covers the manufacturing of more than 800 metro cars and the supply of new lines, which comes as part of the modernization of the first and second Cairo metro lines.
Under the first phase of the agreement, according to Minister El-Wazir, local components will make up 29.9 per cent of metro cars in the first two years, rising to 50 per cent in the following couple of years, and then jumping to 75 per cent after six years.
“The increased use of local materials will help to make the North African country more self-sufficient and reduce its dependence on imported goods. Any surplus products will be exported to other African countries,” said the minister adding that the South Korean company is now developing signal systems in the area between Nagei Hamadi and Luxor.
Jul 2022
New contract awarded for Greater Cairo Metro project in Egypt
A new contract was recently awarded for the Greater Cairo Metro project in Egypt. The contract was awarded to the French companies Thales Group, Orascom Construction, and Colas Rail by the Egyptian National Authority for Tunnels (NAT).
According to the contract, the three companies will design and construct the ticketing, centralized control, and telecommunications systems for Cairo Metro Line 4 Phase 1. This line will reportedly link the Giza Pyramid Complex in Southwest Greater Cairo to the city’s centre.
This phase includes the construction of a 19-kilometre line, 16 stops, a depot, and an operations control centre. It will be carried out within a span of 6 years. The entire Cairo Metro Line 4 is set to be 42km long with a total of 35 stations. The remaining 23.5 kilometres of line and 19 stops will be constructed in a planned second phase.
Thales to supply and install communication and supervision systems
Thales is a French multinational company that designs and builds electrical systems and provides services for the aerospace, defence, transportation, and security markets. As part of the contract, the company will individually deliver and deploy the Greater Cairo Metro project’s fully integrated communication and supervision systems.
These systems include a radio, a wayside telephone, a multi-service network, and a wireless LAN. Wayside equipment for security, passenger information, public address, and operations control centre will also be deployed by the French group.
Oct 2022
JICA to fund Phase One of Cairo Metro Line 4
Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and Egyptian authorities plan to meet to discuss financing the first stage of Cairo metro line 4.
Chief Representative of JICA, Hideki Matsunaga said that JICA is looking to offer a soft loan worth $340m that should be repaid over 40 years for the project. This action highlights the Japanese government’s sincere desire to make investments in Egypt in the future years.
Matsunaga stated he expected to sign the financing contracts and begin the fourth line’s execution in early 2016.
Matsunaga added that the Japanese government is committed to taking part in the Cairo metro line 4 project. He clarified that the current challenge JICA and the Egyptian Ministry of Transportation are facing is unrelated to the loans. But rather it is with the implementation steps in the coming time frame.
The Japanese official explained that JICA’s involvement goes beyond only delivering trains. But also includes taking part in civil and construction projects as well as managing and controlling systems.
