Cairo Monorail

Cairo Monorail
Overview
Native nameمونوريل القاهرة
OwnerNational Authority for Tunnels (Egyptian state)
Area servedGreater Cairo
LocaleCairo, Egypt
Transit typeMonorail
Number of lines2 lines under construction.
Number of stations33 Stations[1]
Operation
Operation will start2024 (2024)[2]
Number of vehicles70 Alstom Innovia 300 Monorail vehicles
Technical
System length96 km (60 mi) planned[3]
Average speed80 km/h (50 mph)[1]

The Cairo Monorail (Arabic: مونوريل القاهرة) is a two-line monorail rapid transit system currently under construction in the Cairo region and is projected to become the longest driverless monorail system in the world when completed.[4] The two lines will create the first public transport from the New Administrative Capital and 6th of October City to the Cairo metropolitan area when completed.[5] The expected travel time for the 53km Line between the New Administrative City and East Cairo is about 60 minutes and the 42km line connecting 6th of October City with Giza is about 42 minutes.[6]

Background

The Cairo Monorail was first conceptualized in the late 2010s to combat the rise of traffic in the Greater Cairo area, and to provide a rapid transportation option for suburban residents. The Monorail was also thought of as a rail link between Cairo and Egypt's New Administrative Capital. The Monorail has also been chosen to use renewable resources, to cause less pollution and to be a zero emissions form of transit. The monorail is also automated, meaning it does not require a driver for operations.[7]

Funding

Funding for the project was secured and obtained through a mix of local and international investments. This included a substantial loan facilitation agreement between the National Authority for Tunnels and GB Morgan Europe Limited, as well as contributions from other financial institutions such as the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and the European Investment Bank (EIB). The total funding amounted to approximately 4.5 billion Euros.[8]

Design and Operation

In August 2019, the French rolling stock manufacturer, Alstom, would lead a consortium with many businesses, which includes Orascom Construction and several Egyptian Contractors. The consortium would sign a 2.7 billion Euros contract to design, construct, operate, and maintain the two monorail lines. Upon completion of the construction phase, the consortium will provide 30 years of operation and maintenance services for both lines. [9]

Opening Date

The system was expected to first open to the public in 2023,[10][11] however was delayed to October 2024.

The monorail will enter its testing phase in October 2024, with plans to launch within the same month. The initial trial operations will run from the control center at the New Administrative Capital to the Moshir Mosque Station.[12]

Rolling stock

A Alstom Innovia Monorail 300, used on Line 15 of the São Paulo Metro.

Cairo Monorail is set to use 70 fully automated Alstom Innovia Monorail 300 vehicles for both lines. The vehicles are four cars long and were manufactured at Alstom's Derby Litchurch Lane Works factory in Derby, United Kingdom. [6]

The Innovia 300 Monorail system incorporates Alstom’s Cityflo 650 CBTC system, which uses radio communication and moving block technology to manage train operations.[13]

Routes

Cairo Metro, LRT, and monorail expansion plans

New Administrative Capital (East Nile) line

Construction on this line began in 2019 and was initially scheduled for completion in May 2022. However, the completion date was postponed to October 2023, with operations expected to start in April 2024. The timeline has since been further delayed, with the new expected completion and operation dates set for October 2024.[2]

It will be 56.5 kilometres (35.1 mi) long, with 22 stations starting with Stadium and stops named Hisham Barakat, Nouri Khattab, the 7th District, Free Zone, Marshal Tantawy, Cairo Festival, 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, Administrative Capital, and terminating at an unknown station 22 (referred to as Station 22).[14]

The line will provide a transfer to the Cairo Metro Line 3 at its terminus in Stadium station. It will also be connected to the Cairo LRT at Almasa Hotel station (transfer to the Arts and Culture City station of the LRT).

6th of October City (West Nile) line

Work on the October Line started in January 2020, and was projected to begin operating in mid 2023.[15] However work on it has been delayed due to difficulties in expropriating land for the project, pushing the operational date to October 2024.[2]

The line will be 45 kilometres (28 mi) long, with 13 stations starting with New October Station, Industrial Zone Station, Sadat Station, Sixth of October City Authority Station, Engineers Association Station, Nile University Station, Hyper One station, Cairo-Alexandria Desert Road, Mansouriya Station, Mariouteya Station, Ring Road Station, Bashteel Station, and termi ating at Nile Valley Station.[16]

The line will provide a transfer to the Cairo Metro Line 3 at Nile Valley Station, part of the line's eastern expansion plans.

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "Cairo Monorail System in Egypt". Railway Technology. Retrieved 21 August 2020.
  2. ^ a b c "رئيس هيئة الأنفاق لـ"الدستور": 75% نسبة تنفيذ مشروع مونوريل شرق النيل والافتتاح أكتوبر 2024". Dostor. 2024-01-14. Retrieved 2024-02-04.
  3. ^ "Monorails of the New Administrative Capital and 6 October City | The Arab Contractors". www.arabcont.com. Arab Contractors. Retrieved 21 August 2020.
  4. ^ "Egypt's Cairo Monorails Project, which will be the longest driverless - Hill International, Inc. on LinkedIn | 69 comments". www.linkedin.com.
  5. ^ Stein, Joshua (16 April 2020). "£2bn Egypt monorail project reaches milestone with ground investigation underway". New Civil Engineer. Retrieved 21 August 2020.
  6. ^ a b "INNOVIA monorail 300 / CITYFLO 650 - Cairo, Egypt". Bombardier Transportation. Bombardier. Archived from the original on 11 July 2021. Retrieved 21 August 2020.
  7. ^ "Everything you need to know about Cairo Monorail".
  8. ^ "Cairo Monorail". Railway Technology. Retrieved 2024-09-11.
  9. ^ "The Monorail story for greater Cairo". Alstom. Retrieved 2024-09-11.
  10. ^ "Seven things to know about the New Administrative Capital's monorail project". 31 May 2021.
  11. ^ "Alstom completes trial run of Cairo monorail system". RailTech.com. 2022-11-10. Retrieved 2023-01-22.
  12. ^ "Egypt's Monorail Project Starts Trial Operations in October | Egyptian Streets". 2024-09-09. Retrieved 2024-09-11.
  13. ^ Rajab, Said (2021-07-01). "Alstom marks major milestone in Cairo Monorail project". TREM Africa. Retrieved 2024-09-11.
  14. ^ "Cairo Monorail". Railway Technology. Retrieved 15 July 2021.
  15. ^ "Cairo Monorail - The New Administrative Capital and 6th of October Lines | The Arab Contractors". www.arabcont.com. Retrieved 2023-06-17.
  16. ^ "Here is where Egypt's monorail stops will be located". Egypt Independent. 12 November 2020. Retrieved 15 July 2021.

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