Two contracting groups have submitted bids for the contract to build the third phase of Cairo metro Line 3.

The bidders are:

• Vinci (France)/Bouygues (France)/Arab Contractors (local)/Orascom Construction Industries (local)
• OHL(Spain)/Consolidated Contractors Company (CCC) (Athens-based)

Line 3 of the Cairo metro system has a total length of almost 43.5 kilometres serving 36 stations and is being built in four phases. Phase 3 covers 40 per cent of the total line length and extends between Attaba in the north and Cairo University in the south of the city.

It will be 17.7km long and consists of the following three parts:

• The first part will be 4km long, running from Attaba Station to Kit Kat Station in the west of the city, and will have four underground stations.
• The second part will be 5.7km, will run from Kit Kat Station to Rod el-Farag Station in the north of Cairo, and will have six stations.
• The third part will be 6.9km and will run from Kit Kat Station to the junction of Line 2 at Cairo University Station in the south of the city.

Phase 1 of metro Line 3 was built by a consortium led by France’s Vinci Construction Grands Projets, comprising France’s Bouygues Travaux Publics, the local Orascom Construction Industries and the local Arab Contractors.

The consortium also recently completed construction of phase two of metro Line 3. Capacity constraints are forcing the expansion of the region’s oldest metro system, with its current usage rate of 3 million passengers a day expected to grow to 5 million by 2020.

Phase 4 of Line 3, which is still in the design phase, would extend from Al-Ahram to Cairo airport.

Line 1 of the metro system was completed in 1987, while Line 2 was completed in 2004. The construction of metro Line 3, also known as the Revolution Line, has been broken down into four phases, with each phase again broken down into a series of construction deals.

Three future lines are also planned for the Cairo metro. In 2012, the Japan International Cooperation Agency (Jica) signed a $334.8m overseas development agreement loan for Line 4.