First monorail system in Africa
A new era of smart and sustainable mobility in Egypt: commercial service begins for the East of Nile Monorail, transforming urban connectivity across Greater Cairo.
www.alstom.com
Alstom, a global leader in smart and sustainable mobility, in partnership with Orascom Construction and Arab Contractors, announces the start of commercial service for the first portion of the East of Nile Monorail - Africa’s first monorail system - marking a major milestone in the development of sustainable urban mobility in Egypt. The Innovia monorail system delivers a fast, reliable and low-emission alternative to road transport across Greater Cairo. Stretching over 56 kilometres, with 22 stations, the East of Nile line connects East Cairo to the New Administrative Capital, significantly reducing travel time and improving connectivity between key residential, business and administrative districts. A total of 16 out of the 22 stations are now operational and serving customers commercially.
With an ultimate capacity of up to 45,000 passengers per hour per direction, the Innovia monorail system is designed to ease urban congestion and respond to the city’s rapid expansion. It integrates advanced, driverless technology to ensure high levels of safety, reliability and operational efficiency.
Project mobility assessments demonstrate the monorail’s clear and measurable impact on everyday travel: journey times between El Moshir Tantawi station (ST07) and Justice city station (ST22) are reduced from around 1 hour 20 minutes by road to approximately 40 minutes, nearly halving travel time and delivering a measurable improvement in daily commuting efficiency.
The project sets new benchmarks for the rail sector through advanced technologies that redefine system intelligence, operational resilience and long-term performance. The East of Nile line operates with fully driverless CBTC GoA4 signalling, enabling highly reliable service. It is also the first project of its kind in Africa to integrate platform screen doors, enhancing passenger safety and comfort.
While the Innovia monorail vehicles were manufactured at Alstom's production site in Derby, UK, the testing and commissioning were performed by local engineering capabilities, laying the foundations for long-term operational resilience and sustainability.
www.alstom.com
