Once completed, the lines will have the capacity to transport up to 45,000 passengers an hour in each direction. Source: Bombardier

A consortium made up of Bombardier Transportation, Orascom Construction and Arab Contractors signed an agreement with National Authority for Tunnels in Cairo to design and build two new monorail lines in Egypt.

Once built, the consortium will also handle operation and maintenance (O&M) of both lines for 30 years. The total value of the design, build and O&M contract is roughly $4.16 billion.

The first monorail line will extend 54 km from East Cairo to the country's New Administrative Capital. The second line will be 42 km long to connect 6th of October City to Giza. These are the first mass transit links to connect Greater Cairo with New Capital City and 6th of October City. The lines will be able to transport around 45,000 passengers per hour in each direction. With operating speeds up to 80 km/h, the journey time for the new Capital City will be around 60 minutes and around 42 minutes for 6th of October City.

Orascom Construction will design and build all infrastructure and civil works, including stations, guideway structures and new depot buildings. The firm operates as a global engineering and construction contractor primarily focused on infrastructure, industrial and high-end commercial projects in the Middle East, North Africa and the United States.

As part of the agreement, Bombardier will design, supply and install the electrical and mechanical equipment for the two lines, including 70, four-car Innovia Monorail 300 trains, CITYFLO 650 signaling and automatic train control technology, the operation control center, communication systems, platform screen doors and fare collection, power supply and power distribution systems, as well as switch beams and depot equipment. It will also provide the overall electrical and mechanical system integration, project management, systems engineering and integration, test and commissioning for the trains and signaling as well as operations and maintenance of the vehicles and wayside systems.