The first ever electric railways project in Egypt has recently made a step forward with the arrival of 12 light-rail trains and transformers. The delivery from Qingdao, China to Cairo Egypt was handled by Rhenus China, a  Rhenus Logistics unit, in partnership with China Ocean Shipping Company (COSCO). 

In addition to the 44-ton train carriages each, the cargo also included transformers weighing 220 tons each. Their handling and supervision ensured that there was no crushing or damage to the top flange of the transformers and generally no hiccups in the entire process.

Egypt is investing around $50 billion into its railway infrastructure according to a Rail Construction Projects – Middle East report published by GlobalData. In September this year, the Egyptian National Authority for Tunnels sign a $4.5 billion turnkey project with Siemens Mobility and its partners for the design, installation, commissioning and 15-year maintenance of the first ever high-speed, electrified main and freight rail line in Egypt. The contract covers the initial 660 km out of the 1800 km rail network planned. The line will connect the port cities of Ain Sokhna on the Red Sea to Marsa Matrouh and Alexandria on the Mediterranean, creating a Suez Canal type of link on the tracks.

The shipment handled by Rhenus is part of the country’s connection to the New Administrative Capital, that is under construction since 2015. The first shipment took about 45 days to arrive at the destination, and Rhenus will continue to transport the remaining 108 carriages in batches.