Egypt plans to award the tender for a high-speed railway between the Red Sea and the Mediterranean in the second half of 2018, transport minister Hisham Arafat said on Monday.

“We are working currently on the technical evaluation and the financial evaluation of this project,” Arafat told Reuters at a conference in Dubai, adding that the contract was expected to be awarded by July, with construction to start this year.

The railway will be connecting Egypt’s Ain Al-Sokhna to the city of New Alamain .

The Supreme Committee, formed by the Ministries of Housing and Transport, announced last week the 10 consortiums and international companies eligible to submit their technical, financial and funding offers to implement the project.

Arafa said that the submitted offers are currently under evaluation, adding that construction will commence this year as soon as the contract is awarded.