Last Night’s Talk Shows on day 2 of our strategic talks with the US + the Suez Canal upping its transit fee
Once again last night’s talk shows were all about the US-Egypt strategic talks: There’s more on that front in this morning’s Diplomacy section, above.
The Suez Canal ups its transit fee: Suez Canal Authority boss Osama Rabie appeared on Kelma Akhira to discuss the 6% hike in transit fees announced last week that will come into effect in February (watch, runtime: 13:40). Rabie explained that the authority wants to capitalize on accelerating global growth, which is raising global trade volumes and maritime traffic. The authority expects Suez Canal traffic to rise 8% during the current quarter, he said.
More on Egypt’s first high-speed rail line: Siemens Mobility CEO for the Middle East and Africa Leon Soulier joined Masaa DMC’s Ramy Radwan to discuss the company’s work on the high-speed rail line, which will connect Ain Sokhna to Marsa Matrouh (watch, runtime: 27:56). The German conglomerate signed a USD 4.5 bn contract in September that will see it work with Orascom Construction and Arab Contractors to construct the 660-km line, which will transport passengers at up to 250 km/h, cutting travel time from 4-4.5 hours to 2-2.5 hours