Transport Minister Kamel El Wazir has announced that the pilot operation of Egypt’s first monorail, which connects El Salam City with the New Administrative Capital (NAC) and 10th of Ramadan City, will kick off around August 2021, Invest-Gate reports.

Accordingly, the 90-kilometer line, which is being developed with planned investments of EUR 3 bn (EGP 55.4 bn) by a consortium of Bombardier, Orascom Construction, and Arab Contractors, will enter passenger service in October 2021, in line with the inauguration of NAC next year, El Wazir told media people on November 8.

Currently, the ministry is setting plans to upgrade and develop the country’s main means of transport, including the construction of two other electric trains to link the new capital and 6th of October City, extending over 98.5 kilometers in length.

This is besides the establishment of the high-speed rail from Ain Sokhna to New Alamein, which is 438.5 kilometers long, with a speed of 250 kilometers per hour, El Wazir further revealed.

Last January, the Egyptian transport ministry had unveiled plans to carry out a number of railway projects across the country from June 2020 to 2022, at a combined cost of EGP 55 bn, as highlighted in a previous ministerial statement.