British Ambassador to Egypt visits Derby-built Cairo Monorail

The Cairo Monorail trains were assembled and tested at Alstom’s historic Derby Litchurch Lane Works as part of a £2.3 billion contract to construct and run the new Egyptian network. This marked the first export of UK-manufactured rolling stock since Derby-built trains were supplied to South Africa for the Gautrain rail system in 2008.

In total, 272 monorail cars for Cairo were assembled and tested in Derby, which is also home to Alstom’s Global Centre of Excellence for Monorail.

“I was impressed by my visit to Cairo’s brand-new Monorail where I tested the cutting-edge train carriages that the brilliant Alstom team have produced,” said Gareth Bayley OBE, His Majesty’s Ambassador to the Arab Republic of Egypt.

He added: “This project is an excellent example of the growing UK-Egypt trade cooperation and highlights the UK’s support for Egypt’s ambitions in providing greener and more sustainable solutions and services to its people.”

In January this year, the team in Derby celebrated the completion of the final Cairo Monorail car off the production lines. The monorail project has supported hundreds of jobs at Alstom and across the UK, and the rolling stock has been delivered from the UK to the Cairo depots in accordance with scheduling and budgetary requirements.

Alstom’s Derby Litchurch Lane Works is the UK’s premier, largest and longest established train factory, and the only facility in Britain able to design, engineer, build and test trains for domestic and export markets.

The first train was dispatched from the Litchurch Lane site on 14 June 2021 – which was 20 months post-contract signature – with the last train departing on 16 January 2024. Leaving Derby by road to Felixstowe, it shipped to Alexandria before being transported to Cairo.

“We were honored to welcome the British Ambassador, along with the Egyptian Deputy Minister of Transport and Chairman of the National Authority for Tunnels, for a site tour of our advanced monorail system. This visit was a testament to the strong partnership between the UK and Egypt, reflecting our shared commitment to innovative infrastructure projects for the country,” said Ben Lezala, Cairo Monorail Project Director at Alstom.

He added: “Our discussions underscored the importance of collaborative efforts in driving environmentally friendly mobility forward. By working together, we are developing integrated transport solutions that not only enhance efficiency and connectivity but also promote sustainable practices, contributing to the development of smarter and more resilient cities that meet the growing demands of urban populations.”

In August 2019, an Alstom-led consortium – also involving Orascom Construction and Arab Contractors – signed the contract to design, construct, operate and maintain the new Cairo Monorail, the longest driverless train system in the world. The 99km network will service two lines for east and west of the River Nile, connecting both 6th of October City and Egypt’s New Administrative Capital to central Cairo.

The new system will transport up to 45,000 passengers an hour in each direction, with a 90-second headway during peak hours. It will offer air conditioning, clear customer information screens and an affordable mode of public transport to mitigate congestion throughout the Cairo metropolitan area.

Meanwhile, trade between Egypt and the UK continues to develop – with the bilateral trade relationship valued at £4.7 billion annually – and the African country remains one of the fastest-growing trade partners for the UK.

Gareth Bayley OBE’s visit to the Cairo Monorail took place on Sunday 25 August at Alstom’s East Nile Depot and Operations Control Centre, as well as one of the terminus stations – Justice City – in the New Capital City area.

Alstom™ is a protected trademark of the Alstom Group.