Key Data:
Project: Construction of phase I and phase II of Line 3 of the Cairo Metro
Contractors: Consortium led by Vinci Construction Grand Projects
Contract Value of Civil Engineering Package: Phase I €226m, Phase II €323m
Number of Stations
hase I five, Phase II five
Route Length
hase I 4.3km, Phase II 7km
Completion Date
hase I 2011, Phase II 2013
Tunnel Diameter :9.4m
Capacity: 1.8 million passengers per day
Cairo, the biggest city of Arab Africa has a population of approximately 17 million and is one of the most densely populated cities in Africa. The city is extensively connected by trains with other major cities. Operated by Egyptian National Railways (ENR), the railway system transports nearly 500 million passengers and 12 million tons of freight each year.
The project
Cairo Metro is the first metro network in Africa and is being extended with a third line being added to its existing route. Operational since the late 1990s, the network consists of two lines at present. The first, Line 1, was completed in 1987 and is 42.5km long with 33 stations. It covers the Egyptian capital from north to south.
Line 2, which was constructed in two phases (1997 and 2004 respectively) extends to 21km and serves 20 stations. It runs from north to south-west, covering the district of Shubra and the pyramids of Gizeh.
Construction of the new Line 3 began in 2007 to accommodate the ever-growing population of Cairo. The construction, to be carried out in four phases, is scheduled to be completed by the fourth quarter of 2013. On completion, the capacity of the line is estimated to be 1.8 million passengers per day. Line 3 will be 33km long with 29 stations, of which 27 will be underground.
The basic route of Line 3 will connect Cairo Airport in the east to Embaba and Mohandisseen in the west, crossing the downturn area and Heliopolis. The Mohandisseen area will be connected to the main line going to Embaba.
"Cairo's railway system transports nearly 500 million passengers and 12 million tons of freight each year."Line 3 will consist of only about 2.5km of track and two stations on grade before the terminal station of the Cairo Airport. A major part of the line will be underground. The cut and cover method is being adopted in the construction of the stations.
Infrastructure
The construction of phase I began in July 2007. Covering the central section, phase I will include the construction of a 4.3km tunnel, five underground stations and the creation of a repository for rolling stock. The five stations – Attaba, Bab el Shaaria, El Geish, Abdou Pasha and Abbasia – will be 150m long and will be located at a depth of 14m to 58m each. The tunnel will have a diameter of 9.4m.
Phase I is scheduled for completion in 2011, after 48 months of work, which will be followed by a three-month testing and implementation period.
The contract was awarded to a consortium led by Vinci Construction Grand Projects, a French construction company. Vinci Construction, which holds a 28.5% stake in the consortium, was given the civil engineering package of the contract in January 2007. Other parties in the consortium include Arab Contractors (27.5% stake), Bouygues (26%) and local company Orascom Construction Industries that has been awarded 18% of the contract.
About 60% of phase I was completed by 2009. About 8.3m of the tunnel's diameter has been completed. A tunnel boring machine (TBM) is being used to carry out the construction work. This TBM, named Cleopatra, is speedier than other machines and reduces pollution caused from sound and debris. The tunnel requires 2,800 rings, for which 22,400 voussoirs will be used. Each voussoir is 1.5m long and weighs 5.7t.
Phase II of Line 3 was announced in June 2009. It will extend the underground line eastwards from Abbasiya to Al Ahram (Heliopolis). It will comprise 7km of railway track, including 4km of underground tunnel. The line will connect five stations. Phase II is expected to be completed by October 2013, after 51 months of work.
"Construction of Line 3 began in 2007 to accommodate the ever-growing population of Cairo."Phase II comprises different packages for civil, electromechanical and railway works. The contract for civil engineering works has been awarded to Vinci for €323m. Orascom Construction has been awarded contracts worth $140m for civil, electromechanical and railway works.
Apart from that Orascom will also be responsible for construction work related to the railway tracks in a joint venture with Eurovia Travaux Ferroviaires (ETF) for a contract valued at approximately $24m. This package includes supplying and laying 14km of track and power rail in the tunnel.
Phase III will cover the western section of the underground line. The total length of the line will be 7.5km and estimated duration is three years. Phase IV will cover the eastern section of the line between Al Akram and Cairo International Airport. It will be 11km long and is expected to be completed in four years.
Rolling stock
The rolling stock for the line will be supplied by Mitsubishi. A third rail will be used to feed the rolling stock by power. Mitsubishi is supplying 460 rail road cars that transport two million passengers every day.
Signalling and communications
The signalling and telecommunications system will be provided by a consortium led by Alstom Equipment. The total value of the signalling and telecommunications contract is €29.8m.
Other parties in the consortium include the Thales Group and Orascom. For the stations, Alstom will provide URBALIS 200 integrated signalling and train-control information system. It will include a control system, switches and signalling equipment.
The Automatic Train Control and interlockings will be provided by Alstom Units in France, while the locally manufactured products, including the Automatic Train Supervision, will be provided by CASCO. CASCO will also overlook some of the integration work. ALSTOM Transport Service Shanghai will supply local services for the project
Future
By 2020, Cairo Metro is expected to carry five million passengers a day. By this time it is expected to add three more lines. Line 4 will be 24km long covering the southeast at Al Ahram to the east in Nasr city. Line 5 will be 20km connecting Nasr city to Port Said Street. It will be a half-circular line connecting to the other lines. Line 6 will extend from north south Shubra to Maadi, and will be 19km long.