Egypt's National Authority for Tunnels in May signed a contract with Siemens Mobility, Orascom Construction and Arab Contractors to build about 2,000km of high-speed railway for what would be the world sixth-largest such network.

A section awarded to NGE is part of a 600km double-track line that will further extend to Marsa Matrouh on Egypt's north west coast, an NGE statement said.

Egypt will later build another line from Cairo to Luxor and a third between Luxor and Hurghada on the Red Sea coast.

The construction will be carried out by NGE subsidiary TSO, the statement said.

NGE, which did not disclose the value of its contract or who awarded it, did not respond immediately to a request for further detail.

(Reporting by Patrick Werr; Editing by David Goodman)