NAT has requested a minimum of 22.2% domestic content and 16-18 trains will be assembled locally. Delivery of the first train is expected within 24 months of contract signing and the entire fleet will enter service within 45 months. The supplier will maintain the fleet for a period of eight years.
The contract also includes the supply of two diesel-hydraulic locomotives for rescue operations and use on engineering trains.
The current fleet of 55 three-car trains dates back to the opening of the first phase of Line 1 in 1987, and trains usually operate in nine-car formations.
Line 1 stretches for 43km between El Merg in the north of the city and Helwan in the south with 35 stations. The line runs mostly at grade, with a 3.5km tunnel beneath the city centre, and uses a 1.5kV dc overhead electrification system.
