Egypt’s Ministry of Housing, Utilities and Urban Communities and Transport Ministry have prequalified 10 consortiums for the contract to build, finance and operate an electric high-speed passenger and freight rail linking Ain Sokhna on the Red Sea coast to the new Alamein city on the Mediterranean coast.

The consortiums prequalified to bid for the contract are:

• Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane (Italy) / Ansaldo (STS) - Hitachi (Italy/Japan) / Saipem (Italy)
• Vinci / Colas Rail / Alstom / Bouygues Travaux / SNCF (all from France)
• Avic (China) / China Railway Group Engineering Corp (China) / Siemens (Germany) / Deutsche Bahn (Germany) / Orascom (local) / Arab Contractors (local)
• Power China (China) / El-Sewedy Electric (local)
• Mathia / Talgo  (Spain) / Indra (Spain) / Inabensa (Spain)
• China Gezhouba Group (China) / China Railway Construction (China) / Samco National Construction (local)
• Hyundai / Rotem (South Korea)
• China Civil Engineering Construction (CCEC) / China Railway 14th Bureau Group / China Railway Fifth Survey and Design Institute Group (CR5DI) (China)
• Eiffage (France) / Hassan Allam Sons (local) / Consolidated Contractors (CCC) (Lebanon)
• Norinco / China Real Estate Information Corporation (CRIC) / China Railway Design Corporation (CRDC) (China)

The 534-kilometre high-speed rail is to be developed using a combined engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) and financing model.

This project comprises the first phase of Egypt’s plan to build 2,000km of high-speed rail to complement its mainline network.

A second 1,500km high-speed railway linking Sokhna and Marsa Alam on the western shore of the Red Sea is also planned although no specific timeline has been provided.

Egypt recently updated an old law to allow private sector companies to invest and operate in the country’s rail sector.

The updated law is expected to allow private companies to invest in the construction of new lines as well as other activities relating to financing and operating existing lines.

The old law was enacted in 1980 to establish and define the role of the Egyptian National Railway (ENR) as the sole owner and operator of the country’s mainline railway assets.

Egypt is modernising its mainline railway, which at 9,600km, is the longest of its kind in Middle East and Africa region.