Egypt’s General Organisation of Physical Planning (Gopp) is inviting consultants to submit expressions of interest by 24 January in carrying out a pre-feasibility study into constructing the expansion of the Heliopolis tram system on a public-private partnership (PPP) basis.

The objective of inviting expressions of interest is to assess the feasibility of PPP options for operating and building the tram project, as well as outlining the main legal, financial, risk-sharing and procurement aspects of the project.

The existing tram is in need of rehabilitation and an extension. Japan’s Poverty and Human Resources Development Fund has given a grant to Gopp that will help fund the upgrade of the section of tram between Stadium station and Nasr City station. The value of the grant is unknown. The plan also includes extending the tram to 29 kilometres so that it serves New Cairo, a new city in the governorate of Helwan. This phase will then be called the Heliopolis-New Cairo tram.

Gopp invited expressions of interest by 22 August 2010 for the environmental and social impact assessment of the tram project (MEED 29:7:10). A consultant was due to be assigned by the end of the year, but an award is still pending.