Alstom Accelerates Egyptian Expansion with New Factory, Workforce Growth and Strategic Rail Projects
At TransMEA 2025 in Cairo, Alstom Egypt Managing Director Ramy Salah Eldeen spoke to Railways Africa Editor Phillippa Dean about the scale of Alstom’s presence in Egypt, the company’s expanding project portfolio and its long-term commitment to developing local capability.
Ramy explained that Alstom has been active in Egypt for more than 40 years and continues to work closely with the Ministry of Transport, the National Authority for Tunnels and Egyptian National Railways on a broad range of major rail and metro initiatives. Today, the company employs more than 800 people in Egypt, 99 percent of whom are Egyptian, with local engineering teams delivering complex applications across multiple domains.
He highlighted Alstom’s new industrial footprint in Alexandria’s Borg Al Arab, where construction has started on the company’s first manufacturing facility in Egypt. The investment supports both domestic rail needs and future export capacity, aligning with Alstom’s partnership approach with the Egyptian government.
Discussing flagship projects, Ramy pointed to the Cairo Monorail, Africa’s first and the world’s longest driverless monorail system. The two-line network spans close to 100 kilometres, with 57 kilometres east of the Nile and a further 43 kilometres on the western side. Additionally, Alstom is supplying 55 trains for Cairo Metro Line 1. He noted that Alstom aims to double its workforce within the next three to four years as part of its long-term expansion.
When asked which projects he views as strategically most significant, Ramy said that each plays an essential role in Egypt’s mobility transformation. Cairo Metro Line 1 serves high-density corridors, while the monorail systems strengthen connectivity between new and established urban zones in Cairo and Giza.
Ramy also emphasised the focus on interoperability across Egypt’s rail network. Line 1 connects with Lines 2 and 3, with integration planned for Line 4. The monorail interfaces with Cairo Metro Line 3, supporting the Ministry of Transport’s wider vision for a coordinated, multimodal public transport system.
Local talent development remains a central pillar of Alstom’s long-term strategy. Before establishing the Borg Al Arab facility, Alstom launched an engineering centre in Egypt that now exports engineering applications to Alstom sites worldwide. Ramy noted that the high standard of work produced by Egyptian talent and experienced engineers has reinforced the company’s decision to deepen its industrial investment in the country.
He added that the capabilities demonstrated by Egyptian engineers, from new graduates to seasoned professionals, are aligned with international expectations, positioning Egypt as a key engineering and industrial hub for Alstom in the region.
Looking ahead, Cairo Metro Line 6 has been identified as one of the strategic projects within Egypt’s Vision 2030. This includes collaboration with other French partners and Egyptian government agencies on planning and preparation. During the TransMEA event, H.E. Kamel Al-Wazir, Minister of Transport and Industry and Deputy Prime Minister for Industrial Development, officially handed over the final alignment of Cairo Metro Line 6 to H.E. Éric Chevallier, the French Ambassador to Egypt. However, it is important to note that it is still early days for this particular project.