Raml tram, Alexandria’s tramway network, which is the oldest in Africa and the Middle East regions, having come into service over a century and a half ago, is set for rehabilitation and modernization. The facility consists of two lines that are the Raml line and the Al Madina line, which were last renovated in the 1960s.
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The aim of the project is to transform the Raml line into a modern and efficient tram line, equipped with modern infrastructure, systems and rolling stock in a bid reduce the travel time between the Raml and Victoria terminals while tripling capacity and improving comfort for commuters.
The contract for the implementation of the project
The government of Egypt through the National Authority for Tunnels (NAT) has up till now identified a contractor for the design and supervision of the rehabilitation of the Raml Tram. The contractor, a SYSTRA Group led consortium comprising of its partners Egis Rail, ACE Moharram Bakhoum, and Projacs, will provide services on behalf of NAT for the preliminary design, preparation and evaluation of tender documents, and supervision of works until the end of the guarantee period.
The project will be implemented in two phases. The first phase will be the tramway design phase which will last for approximately 10 months, followed by an implementation phase of at least 24 months. The latter includes the construction of footbridges, the installation of electronic light signaling systems, and the complete renewal of the rolling stock. It also involves the removal of one of the existing branches and relocation of some stations all of which will make the line more fluid.
Funding for the project
Funding for this project which is estimated to cost over US$ 421M has already been mobilized owing to the over US$ 100M loan from the French Development Agency (AFD) granted in May 2017, the approximately US$ 211M from the European Investment Bank (EIB) approved in July and a contribution of about US$ 94M from the Egyptian Ministry of Investment and International Cooperation.
