Housing Minister Mostafa Madbouly has declared the Egyptian-Canadian international alliance will build a suspension railway that links 6 October city and Sheikh Zayed to Cairo and Giza at a cost of US$1.5 billion through a loan the New Urban Communities Authority will pay over a period of 14 years.
The project will start in January 2016 and end in mid-2018, he said.
During a meeting with deputy transportation minister Hany Azer, Madbouly said the technical and financial offers by the alliance were approved. The alliance is represented by Canadian company Bombardier, the manufacturer of similar projects in 18 other countries including the US, Spain, Germany, Canada, Italy, Portugal, Saudi Arabia, South Korea and the UK. The Egyptian side is represented by Arab Contractors and Orascom.
In a statement on Saturday, the minister said the project will include 12 stations in the first phase, which will stretch over 17 km. Five other stations stretching out 25 km will be constructed during the second phase. The railway will link 6 October city and Sheikh Zayed to Cairo through the Rod al-Farag corridor, which is still under construction.
The first phase will start on the Alexandria desert road passing by Sheikh Zayed, Al-Wahat road and Media Production City, while the second phase will reach Warraq.
The monorail will serve residential districts in the two cities and the industrial city in 6 October. It targets a clean environment, low noise pollution and a solution for congestion.
Edited translation from MENA
