Desiro HC for Egypt unveiled

Siemens Mobility is making progress on a huge contract for Egypt that is set to take rail transport in the country to a whole new level. NAT (National Authority for Tunnels), a government body under the Egyptian Ministry of Transport, signed a contract on 28 May 2022 with Siemens Mobility and its consortium partners Orascom Construction and The Arab Contractors to create a completely new rail system in the country that will serve both passenger and freight traffic.

The network, with a maximum line speed of 230 km/h, is described as high-speed network (although this is generally the designation of newly built HSLs with speeds of 250 km/h or more) and is to have a length of about 2,000 km, connecting 60 stations and enabling about 500 million journeys per year. The operation of this 25 kV 50 Hz electrified network will be provided by an operator still to be selected by NAT; it is possible that it could be DB International Operations (DB IO).

The old and new tracks will not physically meet. For the operation, Siemens Mobility will supply vehicles from its product platforms, which will include up to 41 eight-car Velaros, 94 four-car Desiro HC regional EMUs and 41 Vectron for freight. The idea is that passenger trains will run during the day and freight trains at night.

On 8 May 2024, following the presentation of the depot in Dortmund and its expansion plans, Siemens Mobility unveiled the Desiro HC EMU for Egypt during an event held on the Wegberg-Wildenrath (PCW) test facility. The Egyptian side requested that the interior of the trains should be in line with European practice - hence the similar design to the Desiro HC units for DB.

This was the third unit; the first one arrived here for test last summer and was sent to Egypt at the end of 2023. The first Velaro also appeared at PCW in late 2023, but it is not due to be presented to the public until this year's InnoTrans. The first Vectrons for Egypt are already in production. More information will follow soon.