Bombardier in Derby to build monorail trains for Cairo

Monorail is "a new product line" for Bombardier

Monorail trains for the Egyptian capital Cairo will be built in Derby.

Bombardier Transportation will work with Egyptian firms on the Cairo infrastructure and will develop and build the rolling stock in Derby, after being named as the preferred bidder.

The project - worth 3bn euros (£2.65bn) - will involve building 70 four-car trains to be exported to Egypt between 2021 and 2024.

The government said it was evidence of the UK's global competitiveness.

Thirty-four miles of monorail will connect the New Administrative City with East Cairo. A second line of 26 miles will run between Sixth of October City and Giza.

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The project will involve both the civil engineering of the monorail infrastructure, as well as manufacturing the cars at Bombardier in Derby

Phil Hufton, managing director of Bombardier Transportation, said the monorail was "a new product line".

He said: "It will create a situation where we will probably employ about 100 people on this contract - that includes apprentices as well."

Mr Hufton added that it was "excellent news for Bombardier and for our teams in the UK and in Egypt".

"It shows that the British rail industry is world class and can compete and win in global markets," he said.

International Trade Secretary Liam Fox said: "This is a strategically important project in a growing market like Egypt, demonstrating how UK manufacturing expertise is competing and winning in global markets against tough competition.

"The British rail industry is world class. Derby has been making trains for 180 years, and this project shows that the Derby Litchurch Lane facility remains globally competitive."

The Derby site employs 1,800 workers and this will be the first export of overseas rolling stock from there since 2010 when Bombardier built trains for South Africa.