Egypt builds ‘Suez Canal on Rails’ to link two seas

Dubbed the “Suez Canal on rails,” the project forms part of a 2,000-kilometer electrified network. The first 660-kilometer line will connect Ain Sokhna on the Red Sea with Alexandria and Marsa Matrouh on the Mediterranean, passing through the Cairo region. Passenger services are scheduled to begin in July 2027.

The initiative comes as attacks on commercial vessels in the Red Sea have forced numerous shipping companies to reroute vessels around Africa’s Cape of Good Hope, increasing journey times and disrupting established trade flows.

Egypt hopes the new infrastructure will give freight operators more flexibility by linking maritime ports with an integrated rail network. The railway is not intended to replace the canal, but to complement it and expand Egypt’s transport capacity.

New rail corridor links ports and cities
The first line will serve both passengers and freight, with 21 stations planned along the route. A dedicated connection of approximately six kilometers will link Ain Sokhna railway station with its Red Sea port. For freight, connections to Mediterranean port facilities will provide access to shipping routes serving European markets.

Egyptian Transport Minister Kamel El-Wazir inspected construction progress in August and announced in October that commercial passenger operations were expected to start in July 2027.

The initial corridor is planned to use 15 high-speed trains, 34 regional trains and 14 freight locomotives. High-speed trains will be capable of reaching 250 kilometers per hour, while regional services will operate at up to 160 kilometers per hour.

The investment is also intended to improve domestic mobility, reduce travel times between major Egyptian cities and ease pressure on conventional rail infrastructure.

Siemens leads $8.8 billion network project
The Red Sea–Mediterranean corridor is the first component of a wider network covering approximately 2,000 kilometers. Contracts signed in 2021 and 2022 assigned Siemens Mobility a project valued at €8.1 billion (approximately $8.8 billion), working alongside the two Egyptian construction groups.

The broader plan includes an approximately 1,100-kilometer line connecting the Cairo region with Abu Simbel, near the Sudanese border, and another connection serving Red Sea destinations and ports around Hurghada and Safaga.

Siemens is providing maintenance while supplying 41 Velaro high-speed trains, 94 Desiro HC regional trains and 41 Vectron electric locomotives, alongside signaling, electrification and traffic management systems.