Egypt to receive first Velaro high-speed electric train in August
The tour focused on the section from Mohamed Naguib Station to 6th October Station and included a review of road connections linking the stations to major traffic arteries, such as the Middle Ring Road and Mohamed Naguib Axis. Al-Wazir also inspected Cairo Station in Helwan, which will serve Helwan City, 15th of May City, and southern Cairo. He checked final finishes at key interchange stations—Giza Station, which connects to the Cairo-Aswan railway, and October Gardens Station, which links the first and second high-speed rail lines.
At 6th October Station, the minister reviewed finishing works and detailed plans for administrative, commercial, and investment uses of available spaces. This station will also provide integrated services with the West Nile Monorail. Al-Wazir stressed that all work must adhere to international standards in construction, operations, and services.
A major stop on the tour was the main maintenance and overhaul workshop for the rolling stock of both the first and second lines. Spanning 578 feddans, the facility includes 39 buildings—21 currently under construction and 18 designated for future expansion. Among them are heavy maintenance buildings, inspection and sorting workshops, train parking areas, and other key technical facilities.
The minister also assessed the progress of infrastructure works along the route, including construction of the Autostrad Bridge, the SUMED Bridge, and the South Helwan Nile Bridge, which links Tebeen Road and the Nile Corniche extension to the Cairo-Aswan agricultural road. He reviewed reports on completed bridges and instructed that work on those still underway be expedited and executed to the highest quality standards.
He then inspected track segments that had been handed over to the Siemens–Orascom–Arab Contractors consortium. These segments are undergoing basalt bedding, rail installation, and erection of catenary poles for electric power lines, paving the way for upcoming electromechanical works.
On the rolling stock front, Egypt has already received the first Desiro regional train from Siemens' factories in Germany. Fourteen more have been completed, out of a total of 34 trains allocated to the line. Additionally, five Velaro high-speed trains have been fully manufactured, with the first expected to arrive in August. Siemens has also completed production of 14 freight locomotives.
Minister Al-Wazir underscored the national significance of the high-speed electric train network, which will extend across the country to connect new and existing urban, industrial, and agricultural areas. The network will support growth in regions such as Helwan, 15th of May City, Borg El Arab, 6th of October City, New Minya, and New Assiut. It will also serve key tourism destinations including Giza, Sohag, Luxor, Aswan, Abu Simbel, and Red Sea resorts.
Beyond urban connectivity, the rail system will reach major new agricultural zones including the New Delta, Mostakbal Misr (Future of Egypt), Ganat Misr, West Minya, Toshka, and East Oweinat. The project aims to create strategic logistical corridors between the Red Sea and the Mediterranean, linking northern and southern Egypt and connecting industrial hubs to seaports and consumer markets.
The high-speed rail network is expected to generate thousands of direct and indirect job opportunities. When complete, it will comprise three lines with a combined length of 2,000 kilometers, 60 stations, two main depots, and five maintenance points. The rolling stock fleet will include 41 high-speed trains, 94 regional trains, and 41 freight locomotives.
The first line—linking Ain Sokhna to Alamein and Marsa Matrouh—will span 660 kilometers and feature 21 stations, including 13 high-speed and 8 regional train stations, along with a central control and monitoring center.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Al-Ahram Weekly
a day ago
- Al-Ahram Weekly
‘The Africa we want is not just a dream' - Egypt - Al-Ahram Weekly
Egypt's Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty last week toured six African countries, namely Chad, Nigeria, Niger, Mali, Burkina Faso, and Senegal, on a trip that saw important discussions with the local authorities on the part of the Egyptian business delegation that accompanied him. According to Ramadan Kurani, an expert in African affairs, this was a strategic trip for three main reasons. First, it defied allegations that Egypt's foreign policy is focused on certain regions in Africa, namely the Nile Basin, East Africa, and Southern Africa. Abdelatty's tour to West Africa, together with the visits of senior officials from Egypt and these countries during the past year, proved Egypt's willingness to boost its relations with all five regions of the continent, North Africa, West Africa, Central Africa, East Africa, and Southern Africa, he said. A second reason is the fact that West Africa is intertwined with the Sahel and Sahara, an area facing security challenges, given that both the Islamic State (IS) group and Al-Qaeda are actively present there. 'The stability of this area is directly linked to Egypt's national security,' Kurani said. Thirdly, the choice of countries included Nigeria, one of the most important economic and political powers in West Africa, Senegal, which has deep cultural and economic ties with the other West African countries, and the three Sahel states of Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger, which are facing growing challenges in the fight against terrorism. Chad, along with Egypt, is working on establishing a road network that will link the two countries together with Libya. The two countries are cooperating on the economic and security levels to combat terrorism in the Sahel and Sahara. Egypt and Chad host the largest number of Sudanese refugees from the conflict in Sudan. Abdelatty delivered a written message from President Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi to the heads of state he visited, reaffirming Egypt's close relations with each and with the continent as a whole. On the economic level, 30 business leaders and representatives of Egyptian companies accompanied Abdelatty on his tour. Kurani noted that this was new in Egypt's diplomacy with the African countries. He explained that while historical and cultural relations between Egypt and the African states are rich, this has not always been reflected in economic cooperation. 'The African states can benefit from cooperation with Egypt in infrastructure, energy, medicine, and education. This is win-win cooperation as the Egyptian economy would also benefit,' Kurani said. The African states, he added, have taken positive steps to attract foreign investors. The economic delegation that accompanied Abdelatty's tour had explored opportunities for Egyptian investors to enter the markets of these states, he said. He said that one of the factors that will make Egyptian investment welcome in these countries is the fact that Egypt does not have a history of occupation of any African state. 'The activation of economic diplomacy goes hand in hand with political diplomacy, which will benefit Egypt as well as the African states,' Kurani said. On the societal level, Kurani explained, the six countries included in the tour can be described as Western Islamic states or part of the Western Islamic belt of Africa. Egypt's cultural relations with these countries are strong and boosting these and enhancing Egypt's soft power there is important, he said. The community of Egyptian expats, businesses, and Al-Azhar scholars can play an influential role in enhancing ties. 'When the Arab Contractors Company, for instance, initiates a project in an African state, it usually establishes a health centre, a mosque, or an education centre as well. After completing the project, they leave these establishments as a gift to the state,' he said. Egypt's investment in these countries amounts to $2 billion, 'but our soft power also guarantees an effective Egyptian presence in these countries,' Kurani noted. The Egyptian Agency of Partnership for Development (EAPD) is very active in most of these countries. It supports Africa's developmental aspirations through capacity-building assistance, the transfer of knowledge, skills, and expertise, and the promotion of the creative industries. Meanwhile, Kurani said that Egypt will no longer be deceived by statements on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) being built on the Upper Nile by Ethiopia. 'Today, the GERD is complete. The main issue now is not the dam itself, but the technicalities of its future operation,' he said. If Ethiopia wants a genuine solution to differences on the dam, it must have the political will to enter negotiations. There should also be legally binding regulations for all the involved parties. US President Donald Trump's statements last week aimed to affect Egypt's position on other important issues, namely Gaza and the displacement of the Palestinians, a move which Egypt has repeatedly and categorically rejected. His statements aimed at either acknowledging the righteousness of Egypt's stand on the GERD, Kurani said, or were an attempt to convince the world that he deserves a Nobel Prize. He added that Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed had been provocative when he invited both Egypt and Sudan to the inauguration of the GERD in September. 'The inauguration is part of a political propaganda campaign by the Prosperity Party, Ahmed's ruling party, that uses the dam as a political project to distract attention from internal and border problems.' However, Kurani expressed optimism that the restart of the negotiations may bear fruit, noting that the present negotiating environment is different from that of 2019-2020. The internal problems Ethiopia faces today, together with recent developments in Sudan, may pave the way for better outcomes, he said. 'I am not saying that we will easily get concessions from Ethiopia, but the current environment will help maintain Egypt's water security. The positive point is that Ethiopia or any other African state will think twice before causing any harm to Egypt's water security,' he said. Regarding Egypt's role in promoting the Agenda 2063 aimed at achieving an integrated, prosperous, and peaceful Africa driven by its citizens, Kurani noted that Egypt has, since 2014, worked to boost its diplomacy across Africa. Studies show that 30 per cent of President Al-Sisi's external tours have been to African states. During Al-Sisi's address to the African Union's (AU) Seventh Mid-Year Coordination Meeting held in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea, earlier this month, he called on all African countries to work collectively to overcome challenges, stating that 'the Africa we want is not a dream but a near reality.' 'Such a slogan is very important for political, cultural, and strategic détente among the African states,' Kurani said. Agenda 2063 has various targets, mainly the integration and development of the continent. With that in mind, Egypt is working on multiple areas, including improving infrastructure across the African states and establishing a free-trade zone. It is advancing these goals through two important centres: the Cairo International Centre for Conflict Resolution, Peacekeeping, and Peacebuilding and the African Union Sahel and Sahara Counter-Terrorism Centre. These centres, together with the EAPD, play key roles in supporting development according to the Agenda 2063 framework. * A version of this article appears in print in the 6 August, 2025 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly Follow us on: Facebook Instagram Whatsapp Short link:
Daily News Egypt
2 days ago
- Daily News Egypt
PM Madbouly reviews ongoing investment talks with Gulf states
Egypt's Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly chaired a meeting on Wednesday to discuss major investment opportunities currently under negotiation with several Gulf countries. The meeting was attended by Deputy Prime Minister for Industrial Development and Minister of Industry and Transport Kamel Al-Wazir; Minister of Finance Ahmed Kouchouk; Minister of Investment and Foreign Trade Hassan El-Khatib; Minister of Public Business Sector Mohamed Shimi; Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources Karim Badawi; along with senior officials from the relevant ministries. Madbouly stressed that, as part of the government's strategy to actively promote investment in promising sectors and strengthen Egypt's economic competitiveness, the state is focused on showcasing the most viable projects and advancing executive measures to attract more foreign direct investment (FDI). Cabinet Spokesperson Counselor Mohamed El-Homsany noted that the meeting covered several projects under negotiation with Gulf partners across a range of sectors. These discussions aim to expand foreign investment and increase foreign currency inflows to support economic stability. He added that the meeting reaffirmed the government's commitment, as outlined in its action plan, to fostering both domestic and international investment by improving the investment climate and providing a package of incentives and facilitations. Gulf investments in Egypt have surged in 2025, led by the UAE's landmark $35bn Ras El-Hekma agreement—the largest FDI deal in Egypt's history—followed by Qatar's pledge of $7.5bn in direct investments. Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Bahrain have also stepped up their engagement, bringing total Arab investments to $41.5bn. These funds primarily target strategic sectors such as real estate, infrastructure, logistics, and energy, underscoring growing Gulf confidence in Egypt's reform agenda and economic potential.
Al-Ahram Weekly
3 days ago
- Al-Ahram Weekly
Sanctions or deal - World - Al-Ahram Weekly
The revival of nuclear negotiations between Iran and Europe is intended to avoid imposing sanctions on Tehran again in October, but there are doubts surrounding the outcome. Iran has returned to the negotiating table less than two months after the Israeli-American war targeting its nuclear facilities and other military and civilian sites. On Friday, Iranian officials met officials from Britain, France, Germany and the EU at the Iranian consulate in Istanbul, Turkey. The three European countries, known as E3, along with Russia and China, are the parties that remain in the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) signed with Tehran in 2015. The other party to the deal, the US, withdrew unilaterally from the agreement in 2018. According to JCPOA Iran had agreed to curb its nuclear programme in exchange for global sanctions relief. Lifting the UN-imposed sanctions has a deadline of 18 October 2025, unless the E3 trigger what is called a 'snapback' a month before the deadline. In a bid to avoid triggering a snapback by 18 September, negotiations with Iran have been launched. Prior to the Istanbul meeting, the Iranians met with Russian and Chinese representatives in Tehran to discuss the same issue. Though no outcome for these meetings was announced, Moscow and Beijing are believed to side with Iran rather than the West. Before the 12-day war between Israel and Iran in mid-June, the US and Iran held five rounds of indirect talks brokered by the Sultanate of Oman. Negotiations collapsed when Israel started bombing Iran and Iran retaliated by bombing Israel. Later, towards the end of the war, America launched an airforce attack on Iranian nuclear facilities. The European signatories of JCPOA were sidelined during the American-Iranian negotiations. Despite this the E3 want to help revive those negotiations to restore the 2015 deal with the Americans re-joining it, or reach a new deal to stop Iran from enriching uranium to a weapons-grade level. Iran is also keen to reach a deal to avoid suffocating sanctions. A Dubai-based commentator told Al-Ahram Weekly that, despite Iranian statements about its 'strong position', their economy is in dire straits and Tehran cannot afford more sanctions. 'Even basic services are deteriorating. Look at the water shortage in last few days and how high temperatures have forced the government to announce a public holiday to ration water,' he said. But militants in Iran, including hard-line members of parliament, feel that negotiations with the Americans and the West are futile. They do not consider Europeans to be so different from Americans as they collectively support Israeli aggression against Iran. A European representative went to Istanbul ready to offer Iran an extension of the deadline for the re-imposition of international sanctions for six months if it agrees to conditions including resuming talks with Washington and cooperating with UN nuclear inspectors: the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Iran is asking for guarantees that any negotiation should respect its sovereign right to continue nuclear activity for peaceful purposes, including uranium enrichment. It also wants negotiations to focus mainly on the nuclear issue and sanctions, not extending to its ballistic missile programme. Towards the end of the indirect talks, the Trump administration switched positions and called for a complete halt of uranium enrichment, not enriching to a lower level of producing uranium for power reactors. In response to America's withdrawal from JCPOA seven years ago, Iran had increased its enrichment activity beyond what was agreed in the deal in 2015. The deal stipulated enriching uranium to 3.67 per cent with a limit on produced amount. IAEA later said that Iranian enrichment reached 60 per cent. Israel has been claiming that this level is close to the 90 per cent purity needed to produce a nuclear bomb. Iran has always denied it is seeking to develop nuclear weapons. Nothing concrete came out of the meeting with the E3, except for the agreement to continue talks. The Europeans introduced a deadline to the talks should they not trigger a snapback: end of August. After the meeting in Istanbul, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi posted on X that Iran and the E3 held 'serious, frank, and detailed' talks, exchanging specific proposals on sanctions relief, the nuclear file, and the controversial snapback mechanism. Gharibabadi led the Iranian delegation at the talks. The Europeans also demanded that Iran should provide clarifications for 400 kilogrammes of enriched uranium, whose whereabouts have been unknown since last month's strikes by Israel and the US on Iran's nuclear sites. Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei told official news agency IRNA that an IAEA delegation is expected in Tehran soon, but no nuclear site inspections are currently scheduled. Talks will focus on redefining the framework for interaction instead. That was confirmed by IAEA head Rafael Grossi who said on Friday that Iran has indicated it will be ready to restart technical-level discussions on its nuclear programme. He told reporters in Singapore that the IAEA had proposed that Iran should start discussions of 'the modalities as to how to restart or begin [inspections] again. So this is what we are planning to do, perhaps starting on technical details and later moving onto high-level consultations. So this will not include inspections yet,' Grossi added. As Israel started bombing Iran, Tehran suspended cooperation with IAEA. The level of damage to Iran's nuclear programme is not yet clear, even as Trump repeatedly said nuclear targets were destroyed by American bombing. It is not clear if the Europeans will act as a catalyst for the resumption of Iranian-American talks or fail to do so, blaming it on Iranian non-cooperation. If the month's deadline for Tehran to prove positive engagement is not met, escalation is expected. Iran has threatened to withdraw from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). That will be seen by the US and Israel as a clear sign of Tehran heading towards the production of a nuclear bomb. * A version of this article appears in print in the 6 August, 2025 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly Follow us on: Facebook Instagram Whatsapp Short link:
