A development financing agreement worth over US$ 177M that is aimed at increasing the capacity and improving the efficiency & safety of Egypt’s railway system has been signed by Rania Al-Mashat, the North African country’s Minister of International Cooperation, and the African Development Bank (AfDB) in the presence of Kamel El-Wazir, Egypt’s Minister of Transportation.
This agreement will see the main Alexandria, Cairo, Assiut, Naga Hammadi lines, and Benha-Port Said line extended which are owned, operated, and managed by the Egypt National Railways Authority (ENR), a public entity established in 1851 and subordinated to the North African country’s Ministry of Transport.
Installment of the European Train Control System (ETCS)
The development agreement according to the Egyptian minister of transport, also encompasses the installment of the ETCS on old cars, with the project covering the provision of 260 wagons, 110 of which were supplied and are eligible to use the management system.
ETCS-L1 will also be installed on a total of 953 km of the main Alexandria, Cairo, Assiut, Naga Hammadi, and Benha-Port Said railway lines to manage the course of the cars.
Also Read: Egypt eyeing construction of Cairo Metro Line 6
ETCS-L1 involves continuous supervision of train movement i.e. the onboard computer is continuously supervising the maximum permitted speed and calculating the braking curve to the end of movement authority, while non-continuous communication occurs between train and trackside, generally through Eurobalises.
Generally, this system aims to prevent human error and contribute to less dependence on humans, in order to increase the safety and security of railway lines.
Beneficiaries of the project
According to AfDB, the planned upgrades are expected to benefit low-income Egyptians, about 40 percent of the population, who rely on trains as an affordable mode of transport.
The credit facility comes days after a deadly train accident in the southern governorate of Sohag, last month where a speeding passenger train collided with another one that had stopped suddenly, resulting in the injury of dozens and the death of 8 passengers.
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