State-run Egyptian National Railways (ENR) and German industrial giant Siemens have signed Thursday an agreement that aims to modernise the signs systems for some major railway lines in Egypt. Upon the agreement, Siemens will also be in charge of developing the signs electrification systems for Banha-Zagazig, Ismailia–Port Said, Zagazig-Abu Kabir lines. The signs electrification systems upgrade project is co-financed by the Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development (AFESD) and the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development. AFESD and the Kuwait Fund have secured 44 million Kuwaiti dinars (US$145.1 million) and 30 million Kuwaiti dinars (US$99 million), respectively for the Egyptian project. The agreement is part of modernising Egypt's railway facility and the strategic plan for developing its infrastructure, in order to achieve the goals of upgrading the old infrastructure and develop all its elements, on top of which are the elements related to providing the highest level safety for passengers. The agreement was signed by Ahmed Hamed, Chief of the Egyptian National Railway, and Siemens' deputy chairman in the presence of Minister of Transport Saad El-Gioushy, Michael Peter, CEO of Siemens' Mobility Management Business Unit, and Thomas Traut, CFO of Siemens Egypt. Siemens is set to complete the project with a timeframe of 48 months starting from early January 2016. The manual lighting system used by the Railway Authority in the signal system has resulted in accidents that have caused the death of many citizens. Moreover, the national railway network that extends a distance of 5,000 km across the country suffers from extreme negligence and poor maintenance.
