Egypt and France have signed a government-to-government financing protocol for Alstom’s €876m ($1bn) contract to supply and maintain rolling stock for the Cairo Metro's Line 1.

It was signed with France’s Minister of the Economy, Finance and the Recovery Bruno Le Maire, and Egypt’s Minister of Transport Kamel El-Wazir.

The protocol enables the financing for the supply of 55 Metropolis trains (9 cars per train) with an 8-year maintenance period. Alstom was awarded the contract by the National Authority for Tunnels (NAT) last year.

“These agreements are a reflection of Alstom’s deep commitment to partnering with the Ministry of Transport and the National Authority of Tunnels to develop modern rail infrastructure and provide new innovative mobility solutions for Egypt,” Alstom said in a statement.

Launched in 1987, Line 1 is the oldest metro line in Egypt, moving about 2.5 million passengers a day between El-Marg and Helwan.

These upgrades are part of Egypt’s plans to increase public transport capacity and improve the passenger experience.

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