Talgo aluminium coaches begin journey via Egypt's Cairo-Alexandria route

The Egyptian National Railway (ENR) has officially started operating the first of six locomotive-sledged inter-city trains provided by Spanish train manufacturers Talgo on its exclusive Cairo – Alexandria route. These trains feature a robust yet lightweight aluminium construct.

Talgo was handed over the responsibility of delivering these six trains in April 2019, locked by a hefty contract of €158 million arranged by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD). The deal also talked about building a new Talgo maintenance unit in Egypt that would serve as a garage or warehouse for eight years. The aluminium coaches would be parked in this unit for maintenance purposes.

These aluminium-bodied coaches are similar to the trains Talgo is developing for Denmark and Germany but with high-potential air-conditioning solutions that have been attested to work at temperatures reaching the 50°C bar. This is vital for the aluminium train to operate in areas such as the stretch between Medina and Mecca in Saudi Arabia, which records exceptionally high temperatures.

Aluminium is being heavily used for vehicles nowadays for two unique properties, the first being lightweight and the second being 100% recyclable. The non-ferrous metal is lighter than steel which helps in reducing the power consumption per mile and makes the aluminium coaches much more agile. Since aluminium is fully recyclable, the element contributes to creating a circular economy which in turn helps in decreasing the carbon footprint on the world.

These Talgo aluminium trains can reach a maximum commercial speed of 160km per hour. Each train has been equipped with 15 trailers and a locomotive that can permit at least 490 travellers to ferry at a time. The trains have been furnished with five first-class coaches, eight second-class coaches, a common coach for the canteen, seats for the disabled and a technical coach. The trains have adopted a modernist approach by optimising the entire rake with free WiFi and an infotainment system for first-class coaches.

In August 2022, ENR offered Talgo a second contract worth €280 million for seven overnight passenger trains. Talgo has scheduled these deliveries for 2024, wherein these aluminium coaches would be maintained in the company’s new Egyptian facility adhering to a 15-year contract.

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