Egypt Moves Ahead With Africa’s Largest High-Speed Rail Network, Taps German Consortium For Expertise
Egypt is solidifying its position as Africa’s leading mobility hub with the construction of an ambitious 2,000-kilometer electric high-speed rail network that will be the continent’s largest and most technologically advanced.
The USD 23 B megaproject reached a major milestone last week by signing a 15-year operations and maintenance contract with a German-Egyptian consortium led by DB International Operations (Deutsche Bahn) and Elsewedy Electric.
The agreement, signed by the National Authority for Tunnels (NAT) last week in Cairo during the TransMEA event, positions the newly formed entity, “DB-ELSEWEDY for Rail Operations S.A.E.,” as the sole operator of the entire three-line network.
The deal is a cornerstone of Egypt’s strategy to partner with leading global firms to introduce world-class expertise into its transport sector, ensuring cohesive operational standards across the massive project.
A crucial provision of the 15-year contract is a commitment to fostering Egyptian national expertise. The agreement mandates that at least 95% of the operating company’s workforce must be Egyptian.
To ensure this goal is met, the contract includes comprehensive training programs that commit to the training and qualification of Egyptian engineers and technicians.
Furthermore, the agreement stipulates that there will be annual training in Germany for Egyptian train drivers, specifically focusing on the operation of high-speed electric trains. This strategy ensures a full transfer of operational capabilities and is designed to prepare local teams to eventually manage and run the electric rail network independently.
The agreement also introduces a new revenue-sharing model, and by consolidating operations under a single world-class operator, the authorities expect to eliminate operational overlap and potential interoperability issues that plague multi-operator systems.
Africa’s New Rail Leader
With Siemens Mobility, Orascom Construction, and The Arab Contractors building the infrastructure, Egypt’s high-speed project is rolling out in three major phases.
Once all three lines are complete, the 2,000-km network will be the largest high-speed rail system in Africa and the sixth-largest in the world by length, connecting around 60 cities nationwide.
It will feature a fully electrified line with high-speed trains capable of reaching 250 km/h and is designed to connect nearly 90% of the country’s population, linking major economic hubs, strategic port cities, and key tourist destinations. It is expected to transport over 30 million people a year on Line 1 alone.
The contract signing follows the recent launch of technical trial operations on Line 1, the most advanced segment of the network. This line, often called the “Suez Canal on Rails,” is expected to create a vital commercial service linking the Red Sea to the Mediterranean
Meanwhile, Line 2, running from Giza and 6th of October down to Luxor, Aswan, and Abu Simbel, is under full construction and is expected to dramatically shorten travel times across Upper Egypt while supporting tourism and regional development.
The final segment, Line 3, stretching from Qena to Hurghada and Safaga, is currently in the planning and early implementation stages, designed as a rapid logistics corridor between Upper Egypt and Red Sea ports.
Across the three corridors, the system will deploy Velaro high-speed trains, Desiro regional units, and Vectron locomotives for freight, mirroring some of the most modern rail fleets currently operating in Europe.
Alignment with Vision 2030 and Economic Goals
The new high-speed rail initiative is a flagship project under Egypt’s Vision 2030, which aims to modernize transport infrastructure, strengthen national logistics, and enhance territorial connectivity.
Transport Kamel El-Wazir stated the project will cut travel times by up to 50% and reduce CO₂ emissions by 70% compared to road transport.
He also noted that the network’s superior capacity and enhanced safety will significantly contribute to economic momentum by easing trade flows, supporting tourism, and aiding urban development.
Crucially, the high-speed rail project is part of a larger, decade-long national overhaul that began in 2014, which has seen investments exceeding EGP 1 T (USD 21.3 B) in modernizing the existing rail network, expanding the Cairo Metro, and introducing new monorail systems.
This comprehensive effort positions the high-speed rail not as a standalone venture, but as the crowning achievement of a national strategy to become a leading regional logistics and mobility hub.
