The ongoing construction of the high-speed rail line under construction in Egypt is being supported by a fleet of equipment supplied by Mantrac.

The Egyptian high-speed rail line is a comprehensive rail system which is being undertaken by Siemens Mobility, Orascom Construction S.A.E. and The Arab Contractors. The contract for the project was awarded to the consortium by Egypt’s National Authority for Tunnels (NAT) in early 2021 and is worth approximately US$4.5bn. It will feature the first ever high-speed, electrified main and freight rail line in the country and is expected to transform transportation in the country.

A total of 1,800 km of rail network is planned (starting with an initial 660 km phase) which will connect the port cities of Ain Sokhna on the Red Sea to Marsa Matrouh and Alexandria on the Mediterranean. It is intended to strengthen infrastructure in the areas it passes through as well as link in the New Administrative Capital to the cities along the network for the transport of both goods and passengers.

Mantrac at the heart

The first phase of the project is expected to be completed within 30 months starting from January 2021 and, in the progress made so far, we have played a critical role in the supply of reliable equipment and support services.

Samir Helmy Abozied, civil engineer of Negeda Contracting, said: “Negeda Contracting is working to establish the foundational layers for the line which are 3,500 metres long. We have 2,500 metres of low-level land to fill, which we do by adding soil. For the rest we have cutting work to do to reach the foundation level designed for the train line. Mantrac is the main partner we deal with regarding machines we use. Cat machines are well known for being the best and the most powerful on the market. Therefore, almost 100% of machines used here are Caterpillar. They are the most powerful machines we have ever worked with. Mantrac is also on hand with their after-sales services. All Mantrac staff are very committed to helping us do the work.”

Yehia Nabil Mansour, site engineer for Negeda Contracting, added: “No company cannot depend on Caterpillar machines. They are a basic tool we use in any project whether it is a high-speed train project, a marine construction project or road constructions. Mantrac always guarantees high productivity whether in cutting or filling and with any machine including excavators, soil compactors, loaders and more.”

Khaled Kasaly, owner of Kasaly for Contracting who is working on three points across the line, said that his company relies on Cat machines for around 90% of the work they are doing. He remarked, “Mantrac is a big supporter of the project. Its machines are very tough and durable and help us to achieve our work 24 hours a day. They work in all kinds of weather, whether the temperature is high or low.

“As for the after-sales services, Mantrac provides all spare parts for any working machine we have, whether loader, bulldozer, grader, excavator, or soil compactor. All spare parts are available and on hand and we don’t waste any time as experienced maintenance engineers are available whenever we need. This helps ensure we do not waste time in the event of malfunctions and have higher productivity,” he added.

Click here to learn more about our solutions for construction.