Middle East & Africa News

Latest news and developments from Middle East and Africa region

• Metro to be developed in Alexandria, Egypt

  August 26, 2020
  The Governor of Alexandria has announced plans to develop a new metro system in Alexandria. The proposed metro will span 43 km, serve 18 stations, and connect Abu Qir to Burg al-Arab. The project is expected to cost around USD2.5 billion. It will be implemented in three phases.

• Bus fleet to be expanded in Abu Dhabi and Al Ain; services to resume, UAE

  August 18, 2020
  The Integrated Transport Centre (ITC) of the Department of Municipalities and Transport has announced that 140 buses will be added to the bus fleet of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi.

• Alstom commissions commercial service and Thales powers sections of Cairo Metro Line 3

  August 17, 2020
  Alstom has successfully supplied, tested, and commissioned a part of Cairo Metro Line 3 Phase 4, with a total of 10 stations from Heliopolis to Adly Mansour.

• CRRC secures contract to supply 842 railcars, UAE

  August 5, 2020
  Etihad Rail has awarded CRRC Yangtze a contract to supply 842 railcars, which will be custom-made to efficiently operate in local environmental conditions and to meet the requirements of the Gulf Cooperation Council, including ‘state-of-the-art’ braking and safety systems.

• Volkswagen delivers 130 buses in Angola

  July 31, 2020
  Volkswagen has exported 130 buses to Angola in Africa.

• Karsan delivers 25 Atak buses, Morocco

  July 22, 2020
  Karsan has delivered 25 Atak buses in Morocco, equipped with Euro V standards. Each bus is 8 metres long. The buses will be operated by a private operator in the country.

• Stecol Corporation to construct Nairobi BRT, Kenya

  July 21, 2020
  China-based Stecol Corporation has secured a KES5.6 billion contract to commence construction of special lanes for the bus rapid transit (BRT) system from the Thika highway through the Nairobi city centre to the Kenyatta National Hospital (KHN) area.

• Hyundai Rotem supplies train for Cairo Metro Line 3, Egypt

  July 13, 2020
  Cairo Metro has received the second of 32 air-conditioned metro trains, under a EUR317 million contract signed between the National Authority for Tunnels and South Korea-based Hyundai Rotem Company.

• Road and Transport Authority inaugurates Dubai Metro Red Line extension, UAE

  July 9, 2020
  Dubai’s Road and Transport Authority (RTA) has inaugurated Dubai Metro’s Red Line extension.

• Riyadh public bus transport project to start operations by end-2020, Saudi Arabia

  July 1, 2020
  Saudi Public Transport Company (SAPTCO) has announced that the King Abdulaziz Public Bus Transport Network will start bus operations in Riyadh in the fourth quarter of 2020.

• BPTC and stc pay sign partnership agreement, Bahrain

  June 25, 2020
  Bahrain Public Transport Company (BPTC) has partnered with Riyadh-based stc pay to provide commuters with a contactless solution to recharge GO Cards.

• NAT receives delivery of trains for Cairo Metro Line 3, Egypt

  June 25, 2020
  Hyundai Rotem has started delivery of 256 metro cars (32 eight-car trains) ordered for Cairo metro Line 3. The line spans 45.5 km, covers 36 stations, and is being extended to serve the international airport.

• Rail projects in Nigeria delayed due to COVID-19 pandemic

  June 16, 2020
  The opening of the USD1.6 billion Lagos–Ibadan standard-gauge line has been delayed until end-2020 due to restrictions imposed by the spread of the novel coronavirus.

• Ethiopia–Sudan standard gauge project study secures funding

  June 16, 2020
  The African Development Bank (ADB) has awarded a USD1.2 million grant to the government of Ethiopia to fund a two-year comprehensive feasibility study for the construction of a 1,522-km standard gauge line from Addis Ababa to Khartoum.

• Electric bus operations start in Kampala, Uganda

  June 3, 2020
  Operations have commenced on two electric buses supplied by Kiira Motors Corporation in Kampala city.

• Riyadh–Dammam railway line resumes operations, Saudi Arabia

  June 1, 2020
  The Saudi Railways Organization (SRO) has resumed passenger services on the Riyadh–Dammam railway line.

• Cairo Metro resumes operations, Egypt

  May 30, 2020
  The Egyptian Company for Metro Management and Operation has resumed services on the Cairo Metro, with plans to possibly operate additional trains to avoid overcrowding. Services on the Cairo Metro were temporarily suspended due to the spread of the novel coronavirus.

• Swvl to resume operations in Kenya

  May 26, 2020
  The National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) has permitted Egypt based Swvl to resume its bus-hailing application (app) in Kenya.

• Stabus launches bus booking application, Ghana

  May 12, 2020
  Stabus, the transport start-up in Ghana, has launched a bus booking application.

• Government of South Africa to introduce HSR

  May 7, 2020
  The Department of Transport of South Africa has announced plans to introduce a new high speed rail (HSR) network.