Egyptian Transport Minister Kamel al-Wazir announced that Alexandria Port has received the first batch of 19 new American locomotives, coming as of a deal to manufacture and supply 100 new engines for the Egypt National Railways (ENR) Authority.
This comes as part of the contract concluded with the American company Wabtec, which covers the warranty, maintenance and spare parts for the locomotives for a period of 11 years, with the support and financing of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD).
Maintenance will be carried out by Egyptian workers.
The necessary expertise will be shared with them through the establishment of a workshop for the supplier company specialized in maintaining locomotives equipped with the latest devices, as part of a broader framework to localize the transport industry in Egypt.
The Transport Ministry said in a Sunday statement that the first locomotive arrived at the port of Alexandria in January, and operated experimentally on the railway network for a month as part of a trial operation before the arrival of the first batch.
The entire contract of 100 tractors is set to be completed according during the first quarter of 2024.
The deal comes within as part of the plan to support the rail traction force with 260 new tractors.
The ENR has previously received 110 new locomotives from the American General Electric Company, which have operated on the railways to support the fleet of mobile units.
It also inspects the locomotives by specialized technical committees, while subjecting them to continuous technical follow-up, to ensure their technical readiness.
