According to Lonely Planet, the construction of the new train line will last about two years and will be designed, installed, and maintained by Siemens, the German industrial manufacturing company.
"We are honored and proud to expand our trustful partnership with Egypt," Joe Kaeser, president and CEO of Siemens AG, told Lonely Planet. "By building a high-efficiency rail system for the country, we will support the Egyptian people with affordable, clean, and reliable transportation."
Though this will be Egypt's first high-speed train, the country has had a train network since the 1850s and was actually the first country in Africa and the Middle East to have one. Egypt's current train system is extensive, with more than 3,000 miles of tracks connecting nearly every major city and town. Unfortunately, the system is also antiquated and underfunded, which has led to several deadly accidents in recent years. According to Lonely Planet, while construction is underway on new tracks for the high-speed train, Egypt is also now receiving a monthly shipment of new Russian-made train carriages to upgrade its current fleet.