The National Authority for Tunnels (NAT) entrusted the technical supervision of implementing the monorail’s first phase to the consulting office Khatib & Alami (K&A) with a contract worth EGP 251.3m.
According to an NAT official, the authority awarded the contract after accepting the financial offer that the company presented and was approved last week.
The NAT issued a tender in August 2015 to select a consultant for the implementation of the first phase of the monorail project.
The monorail line is 68 km long, including 61 km on land. It is expected to transport 340,000 passengers per day. The construction and operation costs amount to $1.3bn, including $739m funded by a 20-year Chinese loan a with five-year grace period. Once construction begins, the project will be completed within two years.
The new line is expected to cut down the time to move in the Cairo-Ismailia Road by 30%. It will also impact traffic and save around EGP 2.3bn per year.
Minister of Housing Mostafa Madbouly said in previous remarks that the line begins from Salam City and aims to connect Greater Cairo with the eastern suburbs of the city, along with Sharqeya governorate. It is expected to begin operating in 2020.
The New Urban Communities Authority (NUCA) will finance the implementation of the train, along with the Chinese loan through which the rest of the project will be implemented. A company for the project is currently being established, which will own the land around the project stations in the new cities of East Cairo.
The government also plans to implement economic projects at the main stations, generating a return on the entire project.
