DOMESTIC rolling stock production in Egypt is set to take a further step forward following the signing of two agreements between Egyptian National Railways (ENR) and National Egyptian Railway Industries Company (Neric), including an order for 500 air-conditioned coaches worth an estimated $US 700m.
The second agreement covers the creation of a specialised company to operate a fleet maintenance and overhaul workshop at Kom Abu Radi. Both agreements were signed at Neric’s production facility in East Port Said on April 27, in the presence of Egypt’s transport minister, Kamel Al-Wazir, labour minister, Hassan Raddad, and Karim Sami Saad, chairman of East Port Said Development Company.
According to Al-Wazir, the agreements are in line with government policy to localise strategic industries such as rolling stock production, steadily building domestic manufacturing capability to meet local demand and eventually compete in export markets. Current and future production at Neric includes 21 trains for Alexandra metro, ordered by the Ministry of Transport for $US 300m, and 40 trains for lines 2 and 3 of the Cairo metro, ordered by the National Authority for Tunnels (NAT) for $US 656m from Hyundai Rotem and Neric.
Al-Wazir also noted that maintenance agreement reflects a broader strategy to involve the private sector in railway operations, fostering competition, raising service standards, and maximising the value of state-owned assets.
“We are building fully integrated industrial capabilities that go beyond manufacturing to include maintenance and overhaul in line with international standards,” says Neric managing director, Ahmed El Mofty.
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