Kirill Lipa, CEO of Transmashholding (the largest manufacturer of passenger cars in Russia) spoke about the specifics of a unique project to build railway cars for Egypt.
First and foremost - it's a sanitary and technical block, designed in accordance with local cultural traditions. It was a separate development of ours… Such is not used anywhere else. I doubt very much that it will be used.
The wagon bodies were made from stainless steel alloy, special temperature sensors were installed on the wheelset axles – such design adaptations are necessary due to the operation of the wagons in both continental and coastal Egyptian climate.
They wash it [the wagon] from the hose inside. That is, they water it. Accordingly, the technical specifications included a requirement for the plywood used on the floor to be waterproof. And the same plywood is used that is used in shipbuilding. Special, impregnated plywood. We watered it experimentally in front of everyone, put it in a jar of water, so that everyone was convinced that it does not absorb moisture and can therefore be washed in their usual way.
The contract for the supply of 1,300 passenger cars to the Egyptian Railways was signed in 2018. The contract value was over one billion euros. The production of cars was carried out in Russia and Hungary.