Urban transport is strengthened in big cities

Transporte Urbano-Egipto
Transporte Urbano-Egipto

The investments in urban transport will be focused in the next years on the extension of metro, light metro and new lines, such as the monorail of Cairo. the objective is to opt for the railway instead of the congestioned road traffic.

The population growth, especially in areas such as Cairo, where 20 million people live, and its periphery (Greater Cairo), has made the Government to prioritize investments in urban transport. The aim is to reduce the congested road traffic and to improve urban mobility conditions. The main projects supported by institutions such as the European Investment Bank (EIB) include the expansion of the Cairo metro, the construction of a monorail and a light rail network. Other cities, such as Alexandria, also opt for this transport means.

 Monorail in Cairo

The consortium of Canada formed by Bombardier Orascom Construcción from Egypt and the Arab contractors, works on the first monorail of Cairo, which will be commissioned in 2018. Since October 6th, the section will go from Sheikh Zayed, Giza and the city. This initiative covers the​”Greater Cairo” area where there is a population of 19.6 million people, one of the largest in the country.

 Light Metro in the capital:

The Temporary Union of Companies formed by Avic International and China Railway Group was awarded the works for the construction of an interurban light metro in the Eastern Cairo. This section will link the satellite cities of the capital to the underground network. In August 2017, the Prime Minister of Egypt, Sherif Ismail, presided over this contract’s signing ceremony. This is a US $ 1,241 M project under the responsibility of the Egyptian National Tunnel Authority, aimed at commissioning a 66-kilometer line, with 11 stations that will link Cairo to the adjacent districts, such as El Obour, El Shorouk and Badr. The line is expected to transport around 340,000 passengers per day, reducing traffic on the Cairo-Ismailia highway by 30%. It is estimated to be completed by mid-2018.

 Cairo Metro

The Cairo metro has made history for being the first network of these features of the continent. At present, it has two operating lines, the L1 (red) and the L2 (yellow). In addition, the expansion with four new sections is planned. The objective is to have six lines by 2020. This way, the current number of passengers per day would go from four million to six.

The works of the future L3 (green) are already in progress. This is a route that will link the neighborhood of Imbaba to the University of al-Azhar. In addition, it will be later extended up to the airport, in Heliópolis. Regarding its financing, in November 2014, 1.2 billion dollars will be granted for the extension up to the airport and another 954,1 million for the purchase of new trains. Likewise, an agreement with the European Investment Bank (EIB) was signed in 2015 for an amount of 200 million EUR to finance Phase 3 of this line. This loan is aimed at promoting the “Master Plan of Transport of the Greater Cairo”. The item included investments in infrastructure, civil works, rolling stock and a new workshop area. This also includes L4 that will link the Pyramids of Giza, in the Southwest, to the peripheral district of Nasr City, in the East. On the other hand, the L5, with a circular route, will link several stations of other lines, while the L6 will go from North to South in the East side of the capital. This line is funded by the Japanese International Cooperation Agency and the Egyptian Government.