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Thales to modernise Egyptian National Railways network

Thales, a global technology leader for the aerospace and transport sector, has been awarded a three-year contract by Egyptian National Railways (ENR) for the modernisation of the signalling and telecommunications systems and all works related to a 180km section of line between the towns of Asyut and Nagh Hammadi, located in the Upper Egypt portion of the Alexandria–Cairo–Aswan rail corridor.

The project is part of an ambitious plan, promoted by the Ministry of Transport and completely financed by the World Bank, aimed at transforming Egypt’s railway infrastructure. It is aimed at improving traffic safety and security to allow trains to travel at speeds of up to 160 km/h, as opposed to the current 120 km/h, and traffic volumes are expected to double.

All of these changes will increase passenger and goods transport capacity across the backbone line that links the North and South of the country from Alexandria to Cairo all the way up to Aswan. The solution is designed to work together with the existing ATP system (Automatic Train Protection) and a future European Train Control System (ETCS).

As per the contract, Thales will help in the installation of leading-edge electronic interlocking systems besides implementing an integrated signalling and communication solution to improve railway security and safety and allow trains to increase their speed from 120 km/h to 160 km/h. The project includes full protection of signalling and telecommunications systems against cyberattacks to ensure safety and system availability, said the statement from Thales.

This is the group’s second contract in this domain in Egypt and follows the project awarded in 2013 to modernise the line connecting Alexandria with Cairo.

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