Egypt partners with Austria’s Plasser & Theurer to launch regional rail maintenance hub

Egypt is moving to establish a regional hub for railway maintenance and spare parts production in collaboration with Austrian track maintenance company Plasser & Theurer, the Ministry of Transport said Tuesday.

The project, discussed in a meeting between Transport Minister Kamel El-Wazir and CEO Johannes Max-Theurer and Austrian Ambassador Georg Pöstinger, will overhaul and maintain rail renewal machines, produce spare parts, and support exports to Arab, African, and Middle Eastern markets.

El-Wazir emphasised that the project aligns with Egypt’s strategy to collaborate with global firms to localise transport industries, including machinery and components, while strengthening national rail infrastructure.

Max-Theurer said his company is preparing technical and timeline plans and has already begun training Egyptian engineers on post-sale maintenance of existing and upcoming machines.

The meeting also reviewed the delivery of 14 advanced maintenance machines—including track tampers, switch tampers, ballast shaping, track measuring, and rail welding equipment—scheduled to start arriving in July, with completion by year-end.

Attribution: Amwal Al Ghad English