Egypt to receive first of six high-trains from Spain’s Talgo in mid-November

Spanish train manufacturer Talgo announced on Tuesday its first of six trains would arrive in Egypt by mid-November.

The new trains are part of a €158 million ($183.6 million) contract Talgo signed with the Egyptian National Railways (ENR) in April 2019 for the construction and maintenance of six new high-speed trains. The project – financed by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) – would see Talgo supplying six diesel-electric locomotives, six power cars, 48 second-class, and 30 first-class air-conditioned coaches, and six restaurant cars. These will be operated on Egypt’s main route of the country, to connect the cities of Alexandria, Cairo, and Aswan.

The contract also includes an eight-year maintenance programme.

Each train has seating capacity for 492 passengers, and is designed to withstand extreme weather conditions, ranging between 50ºC and 55ºC.

Talgo made the remarks following Egyptian Transport Minister Kamel el-Wazir’s visit to the company’s Las Matas headquarters near Madrid on September 26 to inspect the first train and discuss the delivery plan.

Spanish train manufacturer Talgo said on Tuesday that it will ship the first of the six trains agreed upon with Egypt’s National Railways Authority by mid-November this year.