Chairman of the ENR Mohamed Amer and French Ambassador in Cairo Marc Barety signed the agreement, a statement by the ENR read.

This is the first time for the ENR to cooperate with the AFD as a main financing partner, Amer said, wishing further fruitful cooperation between the two sides in the future.

The rail route consists of a 54-kilometre double track railway between Tanta and Mansoura that comprises 18 stations and a 64-kilometre single route from Mansoura to Damietta that comprises 21 stations.

As per the cooperation agreement, the Mansoura-Damietta route will be a double track railway given that the route serves densely populated areas and is parallel to one of the Nile River branches, the statement said.

The ENR affirmed the necessity to boost the rail route’s safety level and raise its efficiency so that it keeps pace with the future increase of journeys and freight trains.

Since the AFD started its activities in Egypt in 2006, the group has built a portfolio of €3.1 billion to support Egypt’s endeavours to meet economic development challenges and achieve climate change control.

AFD Group’s Country Strategy for Egypt 2035 seeks to improve the efficiency of freight transport in cooperation with the ENR.

Egypt and France: a long-lasting partnership

Over the past years, Egypt has intensified cooperation with France and the EU on transport projects, including heavily funding the third line of Cairo Metro and railway projects.

The third line of the Cairo Metro is managed by the French transportation firm RTP Dev.

In May, Egypt and France signed an agreement to manufacture 55 air-conditioned trains for Cairo Metro Line One and provide maintenance work for them for eight years.

France’s Alstom Co. will implement the project, which will cost €776.9 million, the Egyptian cabinet had said in a statement.

In June 2021, Egypt and France also signed €1.7 billion worth of deals to fund projects in the fields of transport, housing, electricity, education and wholesale markets.