The Egyptian National Railway is witnessing a milestone in the rejuvenation of the public rail network system, which is an essential part of the people’s everyday lives in the country, said Magued Ragheb, country manager of DHL Global Forwarding, Egypt.

“It is the backbone of passenger transport in Egypt, carrying an estimated 500 million passengers annually. It is a privilege for my team to contribute to a national project of this scale, and in the process play a role in improving the lives of the millions who will benefit from a safe and efficient transportation system,” he added

DHL announced in a statement on Monday that it will be transporting 676 passenger coaches from Hungary to Egypt, which will be delivered over the course of the next 32 months, facilitating end-to-end transport, including packaging, customs clearance, and pre-carriage.

The transported coaches are manufactured by the Hungarian company Dunakeszi Járműjavító Kft, owned by TMH International AG and Magyar Vagon Zrt on behalf of the Egyptian National Railways and are part of the final batch of an order of 1,300 coaches from 2018.

Gradually, the production of coaches in Dunakeszi will ramp up to reach 25 vehicles per month by mid 2021 and with the first cargo due to be transported within the first quarter of 2021, according to the statement.

DHL said that it will manage the end-to-end transport of the coaches, each weighing 48 tons and measuring 24.5 metres in length, as well as 4.5 metres in height.

Packaged for export, the coaches are transported via rail to the port of Koper, Slovenia, where DHL is integrating the cargo via its charter carriers.

The company also expounded that it will deliver the cargo via sea directly onto the railway network at the Port of Alexandria in Egypt.