Over 20 firms have sought to prequalify for the contracts to build, finance and maintain a high-speed railway system and two monorail schemes in Egypt.

According to a source with knowledge of the projects, over 20 firms sought to prequalify for the high-speed railway scheme and around 16 companies submitted their prequalification application for the two monorail projects.

Between six to 10 companies sought to prequalify for both contracts, the source tells MEED.

The first contract is for the high-speed rail that will link Ain Sokhna on the Red Sea coast and the new Alamein city on the Mediterranean coast.

The second contract is for two monorail packages, one of which is 35km long and will link Giza to 6^th of October city. The second monorail package will extend 52 kilometres from Nasr City district in Cairo to the New Cairo Capital.

All projects are to be executed using a combined engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) and financing model.

MEED earlier reported that the Egyptian authorities have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Canada’s Bombardier to undertake a study for the establishment of a monorail from Nasr City to New Cairo and the new administrative capital.

A Bombardier-led consortium as well as another team, led by China Gezhouba Group Corporation (CGGC), also previously submitted an offer for the monorail system that will link Giza with 6^th October City.

It is unclear how the latest procurement process, understood to be mandated directly by the Egyptian prime minister’s office, will impact the ongoing negotiations.

MEED earlier reported that the clients for the scheme, Egypt’s Housing, Utilities & Urban Communities and Transport ministries, expect competing developers particularly from China, Japan and potentially Italy to prequalify for the monorail contracts despite the on and off negotiations with Bombardier.