THE first of six brand-new Talgo trains is due to arrive in Egypt this November.

Egyptian minister of transportation, Mr Kamel al-Wazir, visited Talgo’s Las Matas headquarters near Madrid on September 26 to inspect the first train and discuss the delivery plan.

Under the €158m contract awarded in April 2019 by Egyptian National Railways (ENR) and financed by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, Talgo will supply six diesel-electric locomotives, six power cars, 48 second-class and 30 first-class air-conditioned coaches and six restaurant cars.

Each train has seating capacity for 492 passengers and is designed to withstand extreme weather conditions, ranging from -50ºC to 55ºC.

The contract also includes an eight-year maintenance programme.

During his trip to Las Matas, al-Wazir said that from January only new or upgraded trains will operate on Egypt’s railways. He said £E 200bn ($US 12.75bn) is being spent on rehabilitating the railway sector in the country.

Earlier this year, the delivery programme of 110 locomotives built by Wabtec was concluded, while the delivery of 1300 coaches from Transmashholding is ongoing.