At the beginning of the meeting, the two sides
reaffirmed the depth of Egyptian-British relations and
the historical cooperation linking both in the field of
railways. They discussed the latest developments
concerning the supply of the first two monorail trains
from Alstom factories in Derby in the UK, following the
acquisition of Bombardier by Alstom, following
confirmation of the supply of the two trains was
confirmed in September.
In addition, they examined the latest developments
regarding a deal, supported by UK Export Finance, to
supply 50 new tractors and develop 50 Henschel
tractors, contracted between the Egyptian Railway
Authority and Progress Rail of America.
The two parties also discussed the UK branch of
Hitachi’s interest in manufacturing and supplying 200
sleeping cars for the Egyptian Railway Authority. The
Minister of Transport confirmed that the ministry has
an ambitious plan to support the sleeping car fleet in
efforts to improve the services provided to citizens
and support the tourism sector, pointing to the
importance of submitting the offer to the Simaf factory
in line with the leadership directives to develop the
transport sector in Egypt.
The British Ambassador also confirmed the interest of
the American company Bechtel, which also has a branch
in the UK, in cooperating with the Ministry of
Transport on the development of the sixth line of the
metro project, noting that the company would present a
technical and financial offer during the first week of
next July, stressing the importance of this project.
British Ambassador to Egypt Sir
said:
His Excellency Minister of Transport Lieutenant
General Kamel El Wazir and I had a fruitful and
productive discussion today on UK-Egypt cooperation
to support Egypt’s transport sector. Through the
efforts of UK companies, supported by UK Export
Finance, we are helping develop a more sustainable
and efficient railway and transportation system which
will serve millions of Egyptians daily. These
projects build on substantial UK involvement in
developing the new electric monorail in Cairo, and
provide job opportunities for Egyptians and British
citizens alike. And importantly, they are providing
green, clean transport options - vital if we are to
collectively reach our climate targets as we prepare
for COP26 later this year.
The Ambassador emphasized the UK companies’ continued
interest in the Egyptian market, and highlighted the
UK’s commitment to supporting Egypt’s transport sector
and strengthening commercial ties.
The UK has a strong history of cooperation with Egypt’s
transport sector already, having signed one of the
biggest investment deals in Africa’s infrastructure
sector, to develop two electrified monorails that in
the Cairo metropolitan area, which together will
transport millions of people every year. The deal
included a UK component worth £517m and UKEF
contribution of over £1.7bn, the largest amount of
financing it has ever provided for an overseas
infrastructure project.
