JEDDAH — Alstom has been awarded a contract worth €100 million by Egyptian National Railways (ENR) to supply signaling equipment for the Beni Suef-Asyut line in Egypt. The contract also includes maintenance for five years. Delivery will start in 2016 and the system is due to be operational by January 2019. The Beni Suef-Asyut regional railway line is 240 km-long. Alstom will provide Smartlock solution -its new Electronic Interlocking System (EIS)- to replace the existing electromechanical one, as well as a trackside equipment, a power supply and a telecommunication system. Alstom's solution will ensure safety for passengers while increasing the number of trains in circulation on the network by more than 80 percent. The project is financed by the World Bank and was launched by Egypt's Ministry of Transport as part of an initiative to modernize signaling systems all over the ENR network, enhance operation and increase the level of safety to match international standards. Gian-Luca Erbacci, Senior Vice President of Alstom Transport Middle East and Africa, said: “We are pleased to have been awarded this major project which will significantly increase traffic on the line while ensuring higher system availability and greater safety. Alstom has been supporting the country's railway projects for 30 years, including the Cairo metro, and aims to accompany the country for more projects to come.” A world leader in ERTMS technology, Alstom has secured contracts in 23 countries covering 12,000 km of track, including six of the world's eleven high-speed lines which have been fitted with the technology and are in full commercial service. Telecom sector robust Egypt's telecom sector has witnessed a significant growth over the last seven years, the ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT) Yearbook 2014 showed. The number of companies operating in the information and communications technology (ICT) is 6117 companies In October 2014 compared to 2348 companies at the end of 2007. The sector's total issued capital came to LE46.95billion ($6.39billion) compared to 35.75billion at the end of 2007. The latest value for ICT service exports in Egypt was $1,4 billion as of October 2014 compared to $450 million. The ICT Sector contribution to the treasury reached LE 13.25 billion in October 2014 compared to 11.14 billion at the end of 2007. The number of mobile subscribers increased by 214.37 percent from 30.3 million at the end of 2007 to 94.59 million In October 2014, driven by the growth of low cost pre-paid subscriptions. This brings the mobile penetration rate in the country to some 110.4 percent, compared to nearly 40.68 percent , with growth 69.7 percent. Meanwhile, the number of Internet subscribers rose by 375.75 percent in October of 2014 to 46.96 million from 9.87 million at the end of 2007. This brings the Internet penetration rate in the country to some 54.8percent, compared to 13.57 percent, with growth rate 41.23 percent. — SG/Agencies
