Cairo Metro Line 1 is the backbone of the city’s public transport network, and the new Metropolis fleet brings air-conditioned, high-capacity trains to a line carrying approximately 2.5 million passengers every day. With an eight-year maintenance contract alongside the 55 trains, the project now moves from delivery into long-term fleet support.
- Alstom’s new Metropolis trains have entered commercial service on Cairo Metro Line 1.
- The €876 million contract, signed in 2021, covers 55 Metropolis trains and an eight-year maintenance contract.
- Cairo Metro Line 1 opened in 1987, runs for 44km, serves 35 stations and carries approximately 2.5 million passengers a day.
- The trains were designed and manufactured at Alstom’s Valenciennes site in France.
- The project was financed by the French Treasury and was the first to apply a climate bonus within a French Treasury financing scheme.
- Alstom employs around 800 people in Egypt, where it has been present for more than 40 years.
Alstom,has announced the start of commercial service of its new Metropolis metro trains on Cairo Metro Line 1, one of Egypt’s busiest transport corridors.
The start of passenger service marks a major delivery milestone in the €876 million contract signed in 2021. It brings a new generation of high-capacity trains to a line used by approximately 2.5 million passengers every day and translates a major rolling stock and services contract into tangible improvements for passengers and the transport network.
The project covers the delivery of 55 new Metropolis metro trains and an eight-year maintenance contract. By combining new rolling stock with long-term maintenance support, Alstom is providing an integrated solution designed to improve fleet availability, operational reliability and passenger experience over the trains’ lifecycle.
The project represented one of the largest French Treasury financings granted to Egypt at the time, reinforcing Alstom’s long-standing role in the development of the country’s rail infrastructure and its commitment to greener mobility. It also marked the first application of a climate bonus within a French Treasury financing scheme, reflecting a strong value embedded in Alstom’s sustainability culture.
Opened in 1987, Cairo Metro Line 1 was the first metro line in Africa and the Middle East. Stretching over 44km and serving 35 stations, it remains the backbone of Cairo’s public transport network. The introduction of Alstom’s new Metropolis metro trains represents a new chapter in the line’s history, supporting Egypt’s ambitions to deliver a more efficient, reliable and sustainable urban mobility system.
This entry into commercial service marks a major execution milestone in the project and reflects the mobilisation of Alstom’s industrial, engineering and project teams in France and Egypt. It also demonstrates the Group’s ability to support a large-scale transport project from train design and manufacturing through to passenger service and long-term fleet maintenance.
“For nearly 40 years, Cairo Metro Line 1 has played a vital role in the daily lives of millions of people. We are proud that Alstom’s new Metropolis trains are now part of this remarkable journey. The milestone reflects not only our commitment to innovation and sustainable mobility, but also the strength of our long-standing partnership with Egypt,” said Ramy Salah Eldeen, Managing Director of Alstom Egypt.
The new fleet of Metropolis metro trains was designed and manufactured at Alstom’s Valenciennes site in France and has been specifically developed to meet the needs of Cairo Metro Line 1, combining high capacity, enhanced passenger comfort and energy-efficient performance.
Designed with passengers at the heart of every journey, the trains feature spacious and fully air-conditioned interiors, dedicated areas for women, enhanced accessibility for passengers with reduced mobility, real-time passenger information systems, CCTV, modern safety features and optimised passenger flow. They are also 98% recyclable, supporting the project’s wider objective of delivering more sustainable and resource-efficient urban mobility.
