A CONSORTIUM of Shenzhen Metro Co., China Civil Engineering Construction Corp. (CCECC) and Israel’s Egged Bus Cooperative will operate and maintain the future light Metro Red Line in Tel Aviv, Israel, according to an agreement signed Thursday (local time) in Israel.
The Red Line, which will be put into operation in 2021, will run 23 kilometers from Bat Yam in the south to Petah Tikva in the northeast with a significant portion going underground. It will be the second underground rail service in Israel, after the Carmelit in Haifa. The line is expected to see an annual passenger flow of around 100 million.
This is the first Metro project in a developed country in which a Shenzhen enterprise has participated in the maintenance and operation, according to Peng Haibin, director with Shenzhen State Assets Supervision and Administration Commission, at the signing ceremony.
Shenzhen Metro will set up a joint company, Sole Purpose Co., with other consortium members for the operation and maintenance of the rail, according to a release by Shenzhen Metro Group on Saturday.
Shenzhen Metro will be responsible for providing safe and high-quality light-rail services and mechanical maintenance and building a complete and systematic light-rail system.
The Red Line project is the third overseas contract Shenzhen Metro Group has secured following agreements to operate a light rail in Addis Ababa, capital of Ethiopia, and the Cat Linh-Ha Dong urban rail transit system in Hanoi, Vietnam. Shenzhen Metro Co. is negotiating with Nigeria and Egypt to operate their rail projects.
“The technologies and services of Shenzhen Metro have been recognized by the world markets. We are trying to improve our capabilities in market expansion, technology innovation and service industrialization,” said Xiao Min, general manager with Shenzhen Metro Co.