Hyundai Rotem, the locomotive and rolling stock unit of South Korea’s Hyundai Motor Group, has started delivery of the 32 trains for Egypt’s Cairo Metro Line 3 Phase 3 extension. The first eight-car train was shipped from South Korea on May 26.
In 2017 Hyundai Rotem signed a contract worth US$ 352 million (current rates) with Egypt’s National Authority for Tunnels to supply 32 eight-car trains for Cairo Metro Line 3 extension. The contract includes eight-year maintenance support for the vehicles.
The eight-car metro trains have inter-car gangways, allowing free movement of passengers from one car to the other. Each train can carry 1740 passengers with a maximum speed of 80 km/h.
Hyundai Rotem plans to deliver all the trains by 2023. Hyundai Rotem also won similar deals to supply rolling stock for Cairo Metro Line 1 (2012) and Line 2 (2019).
With the latest deal, Hyundai Rotem continues to strengthen its presence in Africa. The company made its first entry into the African rail industry in 1976 when it won a contract to supply 30 train cars in Gabon. The company won orders in Senegal, Nigeria, Ghana and Sudan to supply trains and diesel engine locomotives. In Tunisia, Hyundai Rotem won an order to supply 108 subway cars in 2007, and 28 four-car suburban EMUs in 2016.
Phase 3 of Cairo Metro Line 3 extends Line 3 westwards from Abbassa. After crossing under the Nile, the line will split into two branches at Kit Kat Square to serve both north and south districts of the west bank. The northern branch will run through Embaba to Rod El-Farag and the southern branch will serve Cairo University. Most of this 18-km extension will run underground (10 km) with some elevated sections (6 km). It will have a total of 15 stations.
The construction of Cairo Metro Line 3 is in four phases. Phase 4 of this project will add another 11 km to Line 3 and extend it from Haround El Rashied to Cairo International Airport.
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