Egypt is set to embark on a plan to upgrade Alexandria’s tram network – the oldest tram system in Africa and one of the oldest in the world – in a EUR 360 million project to be partially financed by the French Development Agency (AFD).
The budget for the project, which will be carried out over three years, is EUR 360 million, with EUR 100 million from AFD, EUR 180 million from the European Investment Bank, and the equivalent of EUR 80 million from the Transport Mministry, Hisham Arafat, Transport Minister was quoted as saying in the statement.
The Ministry of Investment and International Cooperation signed a 100 million euro deal with AFD to upgrade Alexandria’s Raml tram line, known as the Blue Tram, which connects the city’s western and eastern sections, ahram.org.eg informs.
The project aims to extend the route of the 150-year-old tram line and renovate stations and cars. It would also eventually double capacity from 100,000 daily passengers to 230,000, according to a statement published on the ministry’s website.
Alexandria, Egypt’s second largest city at a population of 4.5 million, does not have an underground metro system and relies solely on surface means of transport.
The renovation plan aims to optimise the alignment and construction of the tramway, provide faster service by minimising the intersection of the tramway with roads through the construction of viaducts and underpasses and the prioritisation of the tramway at traffic lights.
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