THE joint venture of Arab Contractors and Hassan Allam Construction, that is upgrading the Victoria - Raml section of the tram network in the Egyptian city of Alexandria, has awarded Hitachi Rail a contract to supply rail systems. The value of the contract has not been disclosed.
Hitachi Rail will supply signalling and communications systems, an operations control centre and a supervisory control and data acquisition (Scada) system. The contract also covers the supply of security systems including CCTV cameras and access control, the passenger information system and onboard equipment.
The project to upgrade the 13.2km between Victoria and Raml includes rebuilding 24 stops. When completed, the operating speed will be raised from 11km/h to 21km/h, reducing headways from 9 minutes to 3 minutes and cutting the end-to-end journey time from 1 hour to 35 minutes.
Increasing capacity from 4700 to 13,800 passengers per hour per direction is expected to alleviate road congestion and lower CO₂ emissions.
“The contract will see us modernise and upgrade the oldest electric tram system in Africa, transforming it into a reliable, efficient, and digitally enhanced transportation system,” say Carlo Piacenza, SRS MEA regional director at Hitachi Rail.
Hitachi is also supplying a Transcity automated fare collection (AFC) system for Alexandria’s first metro line, which will offer payment options including QR codes, standard and contactless bank cards, and NFC mobile payment.
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