Egypt’s National Authority for Tunnels (NAT) has selected France-based consultancy Systra for the contract to undertake feasibility and other studies for the extension of the second line of the Cairo Metro to Qalyoub City.

Other firms that were invited to bid for the contract were Setec, Egis Rail and Artelia (all France), Lebanon's Dar al-Handasah and the Singapore-registered Khatib & Alami.

The scope of the consultancy services sought include inception and data collection reports, and transport, feasibility, preliminary geotechnical, hydrological and socio-economic studies as well as an environmental impact assessment.

The selected consultant will advise on the best route for the proposed extension, the number of stations and potential interchange points with other transport modes.

Cairo Metro Line 2 stretches for 21.6 kilometres from the north to the southwest of Cairo, connecting Shoubra with El-Mounib, and serving the pyramids of Giza. It has 20 stations, 12 of which are underground. The line was constructed in five phases, with the first opening in 1996 and the last in 2005.

In December 2015, Egypt’s Ministry of International Cooperation signed a $100m financing deal with European Bank for Reconstruction & Development (EBRD). The financing will be used to acquire 13 train sets for Line 2.