Cairo Monorail project is a monorail system proposed to be developed in Cairo, Egypt.
The project will involve the construction of two monorail lines, which will create the first public transport connection from both New Capital City and 6th of October City to the Greater Cairo area.
A consortium of Bombardier Transportation, Orascom Construction, and Arab Contractors will design, construct, operate, and maintain the two lines under a $4.5bn contract signed with Egypt’s National Authority for Tunnels in August 2019.
Cairo Monorail route and station details
The monorail project will include a 54km line connecting the New Administrative City with East Cairo and a second 42km line connecting 6th of October City with Giza.
Cairo Monorail’s New Administrative Capital line will feature 21 stations while the 6th of October City line will have 12 stations.
The New Administrative Capital line will extend from the stadium, connecting Hisham Barakat, Nouri Khattab, the 7th District, Free Zone, Marshal Tantawy, Cairo Festival, El Choueifat, Air Hospital, Narjis District, Mohammed Naguib, American University, Emaar, Nafoura Square, Al Barwa, Middle Ring Road, Mohammed Bin Zayed, Regional Ring Road, Almasa Hotel, Ministries (Al Wezarat) District, and Administrative Capital.
The 6th of October City line will begin at Boulak (Gameat El Dewal), linking Ring Road, El Marioutia, El Mansouria, the Desert Road (Cairo/Alexandria), Hyperone, Jouhina, Authority of Urban Communities, El Hosary, Dar El Fouad, the Industrial Zone, and High Speed Railway stops.
Rolling stock for Cairo Monorail
Cairo Monorail will utilise 70 fully automated, driverless Bombardier INNOVIA monorail 300 trains, which feature four cars each. Made of extruded aluminium panels, the trains are corrosion-resistant and recyclable.
Rubber tyres will improve passenger comfort by reducing noise. The cars are designed with short headways and are capable of handling sharp curves up to 46m radii and steep grades of 6%.
The train system includes advanced communication technology and intelligent power management for increased energy efficiency. The trains will operate at speeds of up to 80km/h on both lines.
INNOVIA monorail 300 was selected based on its suitability for congested cities and flagship performance in driverless operations.
The trains are currently operating in Sao Paulo, Brazil, and will be implemented in Bangkok, Thailand and Wuhu, China.
Signalling and communication
The monorail system will incorporate Bombardier’s CITYFLO 650 signalling and automatic train control technology, which is designed to offer driverless train operations (DTO) or unattended train operations (UTO) using moving block technology.
It will also feature operation control centre, communication systems in addition to other electrical and mechanical equipment such as platform screen doors and fare collection, power supply and distribution systems, as well as switch beams and depot equipment.
Ridership
Cairo Monorail will have the capacity to transport approximately 45,000 passengers an hour in each direction at full capacity.
Travel time will be 60 minutes for the 54km New Administrative City line and 42 minutes for the 42km 6th of October City line.
Financing and contractors involved
Part of the project’s financing will be provided through a loan by Egypt’s New Urban Communities Authority (NUCA) with a repayment period of 14 years.
Bombardier was named as the preferred bidder to build the monorail project. The company will design, supply and install rolling stock as well as the electrical and mechanical equipment for the project. The rolling stock will be manufactured in Derby, UK.
Bombardier will also provide project management, systems engineering and integration, and test and commissioning for the trains and signalling.
Orascom’s work includes the design and construction of all infrastructure and civil works.
The consortium will operate and maintain both lines for 30 years.
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