Egypt’s Minister of Transport Kamel el-Wazir has ordered the suspension of all train services on the Ismailia-Suez railway line pending a comprehensive inspection of the entire track and verification of the safety of its components and fastening equipment, following the derailment of a passenger train carriage on Thursday.
The Egyptian National Railways Authority said that one wheel of the fourth carriage of the five-carriage Train No. 107/3634 (Tahya Misr), operating between Ismailia and Suez, derailed at around 2:00 pm local time while travelling between Nefisha and El-Dab’eya stations.
No injuries were reported, the Transport Ministry said in a statement.
According to the ministry, preliminary findings indicated that the incident resulted from the theft of eight rail fastening bolts.
The minister instructed railway engineering teams to carry out thorough inspections across all railway lines nationwide to verify the integrity of tracks and fastening equipment, safeguard the network and maintain the highest safety standards.
The authority said emergency technical teams were immediately dispatched to the site to restore the derailed carriage to the tracks.
The train subsequently resumed its journey after the affected carriage was detached, with the incident initially reported as having no impact on services.
The authority also coordinated with the Transport and Communications Police to identify and apprehend those responsible for stealing the railway components.
The minister stressed the need to take all necessary measures to ensure safe train operations and protect passengers, while railway officials complete the required technical inspections before services on the affected line resume.
