Egypt Transport Minister Kamel al-Wazir on September 5 received 30 new diesel locomotives at Alexandria Port as part of a deal with General Electric (GE) Transportation. This is the fifth batch of locomotives being delivered by GE, bringing the number of locomotives delivered so far to 100.
In June 2017, the Ministry of Transport and Egyptian National Railways (ENR) signed an agreement with General Electric to supply 110 GE ES30ACi Light Evolution Series diesel locomotives. The US$ 575m deal also includes a 15-year agreement for parts and technical support for both the new and existing ENR’s GE locomotives.
The diesel locomotives are equipped with 12-cylinder 3200 hp (2.39 MW) GE Evolution Series engines and will be used for both passenger and freight rail to improve ENR’s service delivery.
In June 2017, ENR signed a €290m loan agreement with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) to finance the purchase of the new locomotives. The Egyptian government’s freight reform programme aims to increase rail freight volumes to 25 million tonnes per year by 2022. The EBRD is providing ENR with technical support to implement this programme.
With support from development institutions including the World Bank, Egypt is implementing a comprehensive development plan which involves a massive upgrade of the country’s rail network, including improved rail lines, modernization of signalling systems, improved track maintenance and acquisition of new rolling stock.
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