China's rail transit facilities enter Egypt for the first time, which will stimulate the construction of the new capital of Egypt.
Release time:
2017-08-25 00:00
Source: International Online
International Online reported on August 16, 2017 On August 15, local time, China Railway-AVIC International Consortium and the Egyptian National Tunnel Bureau signed an electromechanical contract for the Ramadan 10th City Light Rail Project at the Egyptian Prime Minister's Office. Egyptian Prime Minister Sharif Ismail, together with the Minister of Transport, Finance, Housing and Planning, witnessed the signing ceremony with Chinese Ambassador to Egypt Song Aiguo and the Minister of Business and Counsellor Han Bing of the Embassy.
The authorized representative of China Railway-AVIC International Consortium and the chairman of the Egyptian National Tunnel Bureau, as the light rail contractor, signed and exchanged agreements with the owner's representative. This marks the first time that China's rail transit facilities have entered Egypt.
In an interview with China Radio International, Han Bing, a public counsellor at the Economic and Commercial Counsellor of the Chinese Embassy in Egypt, said, "This is our first track project in Egypt. The entry of Chinese track technology into the Egyptian market is a breakthrough in itself, which also shows Egypt's recognition of Chinese track technology, and the Egyptian side will also use Chinese train carriages. This is of great significance for expanding the market of Chinese railway technology in Egypt."
It is understood that the project includes a two-line electrified light rail with a design speed of 120 km/h and the construction of 11 stations, with a total mileage of about 66km and a contract value of US $1.24 billion. Han Bing said that the light rail will connect the capital Cairo and the city of Ramadan on the 10th of Ramadan, which has a good industrial base in the east, as well as the new administrative capital under construction. In order to ease the traffic and residential pressure on the capital Cairo, the Egyptian government proposed in 2015 to build a new administrative capital covering an area of about 700 square kilometers in the east of Cairo. Han Bing told reporters: "Because of the connection between Cairo and the new administrative capital, the construction of this light rail is of great significance in promoting the development of the new capital. The new administrative capital is one of Egypt's most important national projects and a project of great concern to President Sisi, and some of the difficult issues previously encountered in the light rail contract were actually solved by him himself, which shows the importance Egypt attaches to the project."
According to calculations, this light rail will effectively alleviate the traffic pressure in the Greater Cairo area and facilitate the daily commuting of nearly 5 million residents in the surrounding satellite cities; the construction of the project will also promote the development of local employment and construction. Han Bing said: "We mainly produce technology and equipment. Civil engineering is basically undertaken by the Egyptian side and subcontracted by local companies. This can play a certain role in stimulating local employment and the development of the construction industry."
Since the signing of the project framework agreement in 2014, the project has been highly valued by the governments of the two countries. In 2015, the project was included in the first batch of priority projects for China-Egypt capacity cooperation. The successful signing of the Ramadan 10th City light rail project marks a major achievement in practical cooperation between China and Egypt under the "Belt and Road" initiative, and is expected to drive a batch of Chinese technology and equipment into Egypt.
(China Radio International reporter: Zhang Yifu)
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