French train manufacturer Alstom has signed a EUR 876 mn contract with the National Authority for Tunnels to provide new rolling stock for Cairo Metro Line 1, the company announced in a statement. The agreement, signed during the TransMea transport conference yesterday, will see the French company provide 55 new subway trains to Cairo’s oldest underground line. Alstom will also supply spare parts and provide maintenance for eight years.

The work will be funded by the French government and is part of a raft of financing agreements signed by French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire in June that will see Paris lend EUR 2.8 bn for the development of metro lines 1 and 6. Cabinet had given the NAT the green light to contract Alstom last week.

The contract was among 13 signed by the Transport Ministry on the second day of the TransMEA conference. We’ll have a full rundown on the other agreements and what they mean for our transportation infrastructure in tomorrow’s edition of Hardhat, our weekly vertical on infrastructure.

Eight more agreements coming: The ministry is set to sign another eight agreements at the TransMEA conference tomorrow, according to a press invitation sent out from the minister’s press office.

Background: The contract comes as part of a larger rehabilitation program for the line, which is considered the backbone of the metro system. Alstom has also recently completed two signaling upgrade projects (here and here) for the Beni Suef-Assiut railway line, and is currently working on manufacturing trains for Egypt’s first monorail.