COP 27: France’s Alstom to design, construct Africa’s first driverless metro in Egypt

COP 27: France’s Alstom to design, construct Africa’s first driverless metro in Egypt

France-headquartered global mobility giant Alstom signed a framework agreement with Egypt’s National Authority of Tunnels (NAT) to design, build and maintain the Cairo Metro line 6, the company said in a statement issued at the COP27 summit.

The 35-kilometre-long line, the first driverless metro in Africa, will accommodate around half a million passengers, Alstom said in a press statement on Thursday.

The line will run north-south through the Greater Cairo neighbourhoods of Shubra El-Kheima and New Maadi, ending at the beginning of Ain El-Sokhna Road, Al-Khosos. It will include 27 stations, with 12 of them underground, the statement said.

Alstom will provide the rolling stock and 294 metropolis cars. The company will supply signalling systems, telecom systems, traction, power supply, high voltage substation, depot equipment, depot design, trackwork, third rail and automatic fare collection, the statement noted.

In addition, the French firm will be responsible for the maintenance work on Cairo Line 6, which will be carried out at the depot in Cairo and managed locally.

The creation of Cairo Metro Line 6 will reduce the congestion on Cairo Metro Line 1 and provide more options to residents moving across Cairo, the statement said.

“In 2019, the city’s CO2 emissions due to transport was around 22