Thales continues its commitment to Egypt National Railways and delivers three key stations Tanta, Al Ousayrat and Sedfa

Thales continues its commitment to 
Egypt National Railways and delivers three key stations Tanta, Al Ousayrat and Sedfa
An increased reliability, speed and cost-effectiveness

•    The transformation implemented by Thales means a significant increase in the availability and reliability of the means of transport, as well as greater speed and frequency of its trains, which induces greater profitability of the railway network. 
•    The design speed of trains will increase from 140 to 160 km/h.
•    The relationship between ENR and Thales began in 2013 with the contract for the modernization of the line connecting Alexandria to Cairo; and continued in 2017 with the section between Asyut and Nagh Hammadi.

 ©Thales

As part of the ambitious plan to transform Egypt's railway infrastructure driven by the country's Ministry of Transport, Thales has once again delivered on its commitment by delivering the new key stations, Tanta, Sedfa and Al Ousayrat. The latter two are located on the line linking the towns of Asyut and Nagh Hammadi while Tanta is on the Cairo-Alexandria line.

All these stations are part of the rail corridor from Alexandria to Aswan via Cairo. 
The delivery of Tanta station, which is one of the largest stations along the Egyptian Railway network, means the entry into operation of a continuous section of approximately 198 km.  
This delivery marks as a key milestone for the prestigious Cairo Alexandria project, a 208km line, where now Thales is working at full speed to finalize the end stations of the line, namely Alexandria station in the north, and Farz Waborat / Cairo North in the south end. 

This entry into service will have a significant impact on ENR’s operation and passenger experience. Thanks to the Thales solution deployed, ENR customers can travel along ENR’s busiest line, Cairo Alexandria, through a safer and quicker journey. 

Thales has equipped Tanta with technical buildings, signals, switch motors, track circuits and level crossings, making it one of the most complex stations of Cairo Alexandria line. 
In the specific case of Al Ousayrat, Thales has deployed it’s signalling and telecommunications systems, in addition to the delivery of a new technical building, level crossings, adding 10km to the current 63 km of modernized section already in operation. In addition, the commissioning of Sedfa station includes technical building, signals, track circuits and level crossings, and adding 11km of section in service.

The aim of this ambitious project, of which Thales is part, is to modernize the signalling and telecommunications systems of the Egyptian National Railways (ENR), the second largest railway operator in Africa. The existing mechanical signalling systems are being replaced by Thales' electronic interlocking system (EIS) on three of the most important lines of the Egyptian railway network, the second oldest in the world after the British. 

Increased availability and reliability, speed and cost-effectiveness

This will result in a significant increase in passenger and freight reliability, as well as an increase in the design speed and track capacity of up to 40%. Specifically, the design speed of trains will increase from 140 to 160 km/h. Similarly, reduced maintenance costs will have an impact on the life-cycle cost of the systems. 

Thales and ENR: almost 10 years of fruitful partnership

The relationship between ENR (Egyptian National Railways) and Thales began in 2013 following the award of the first signaling modernization contract: Cairo Alexandria Line. Later, in 2018, the Egyptian company once again placed its trust in Thales by awarding the contract for the installation of state-of-the-art electronic interlockings on the 180 km stretch between the cities of Asyut and Nagh Hammadi