Egypt’s rail network leaps forward with new Siemens high-speed trains

Siemens has unveiled its new version of its Velaro train, capable of speeding up to 250 kilometres per hour in Egypt at the TransMEA 2025 show, which will form an integral part of the country's modernised transportation system.

Presenting the innovation in New Cairo, the country will deploy 41 units in its newly planned 2,000-kilometre high-speed network, according to the German manufacturer's press release.

The new high-speed trains will connect Egypt’s major cities across three lines and be accessible to nearly 90% of the population. According to Siemens, the new trains will minimise travel times by up to 50%.

The project was first announced in 2018 and is being developed in Egypt in partnership with Arab Contractors and Orascom Construction.

The fleet of trains ordered for Egypt is being designed and constructed in Germany but has been optimized to withstand Egypt’s harsh desert climate, and features advanced filtration systems and cooling to counter sand, heat and dust.

Siemens has also debuted their Desiro High-Capacity regional train in Egypt, which is capable of reaching a top speed of 160 kmph. It completed its first journey near the 6th of October Depot, a new dry port west of Cairo.

The dry port, with storage capacity for 260,000 containers, consists of five rail lines and is an integral feature of the Green Line, which is an in-construction 660-kilometre network dubbed the “Suez Canal on Rails.” It connects the Red Sea and the Mediterranean Sea for now and will connect Ain Sokhna, south of Suez, with Cairo, Alexandria and Marsa Matrouh along Egypt’s north coast. The German manufacturing giant estimates that the new train network will lead to an increase in Egypt’s freight capacity by 46%.

Egypt’s deputy prime minister for industrial development and minister of transport and industry, Lieutenant General Engineer Kamel El-Wazir, described the Desiro’s first journey as a “defining moment in Egypt’s transport modernisation strategy.”

“This high-speed train project will help redefine passenger experience, reduce travel times, and boost connectivity between cities,” he expressed in a press statement.

By Nazrin Sadigova