Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly on Sunday inspected a number of green and sustainable mass-transit projects in Cairo and Giza, as part of government efforts to complete major transport projects within their scheduled timelines.
The tour, carried out under President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi’s directives, included an inspection of the West Nile Monorail project, with Madbouly and Transport Minister Kamel El-Wazir travelling by monorail between Al-Ahram Canadian University Station and Engineers Syndicate Station.
Madbouly said green mass-transit projects were a key pillar of efforts to build a modern and sustainable transport system capable of keeping pace with urban expansion and meeting citizens’ needs.
He said projects such as the monorail, electric high-speed rail and metro were not only designed to provide fast and safe transport, but also to reshape patterns of mobility and development by connecting new cities and industrial and residential areas to an integrated public transport network.
The projects also provide modern alternatives to private cars, helping reduce fuel consumption, emissions and traffic congestion while supporting sustainable development and maximising the benefits of major investments in the transport sector, he added.
West Nile Monorail
Madbouly and El-Wazir began their tour by inspecting the West Nile Monorail, which runs for 43.8 km from New October City to Wadi El-Nile and includes 13 stations. The project is being implemented by the Alstom-led consortium with Arab Contractors.
They also inspected the project’s depot and control centre, which covers around 88 feddans (369,600 square metres) and includes 13 buildings and facilities, including the operations control centre, maintenance buildings, power station, train storage yard, security facilities, train-washing building, inspection area, waste-management and hazardous-material storage facilities, water-management station and fuel station.
Project officials briefed the prime minister on progress in construction and equipment and measures to ensure the project is ready for operation according to the planned schedule. The West Nile Monorail will operate 30 trains.
Madbouly and El-Wazir later travelled on one of the monorail trains from Al-Ahram Canadian University Station to Engineers Syndicate Station. During the journey, they reviewed progress on final finishing works and station equipment, as well as plans and schedules for trial operations without passengers ahead of the planned launch.
El-Wazir said work on the West Nile Monorail was progressing around the clock to complete all sections of the project in line with the highest quality and safety standards.
He said the project would play an important role in serving the expanding urban areas of 6th of October City, including social housing projects, development areas south of October, southern extensions and the city’s industrial zone.
The minister stressed that the project would also provide greater integration between different modes of public transport.
The West Nile Monorail will connect with Cairo Metro Line 3 at Wadi El-Nile Station, allowing passengers to travel to the New Capital through connections between Line 3 and the East Nile Monorail.
It will also connect with the Sokhna-Alexandria-Matrouh electric high-speed rail network through the Engineers Syndicate Club Monorail Station and the October High-Speed Rail Station. In addition, it will connect with the national railway network through the monorail station at the Upper Egypt Railway Station in Beshteel, Giza.
The project is also planned to connect with the third phase of Metro Line 4 through 6th of October University Station. Another connection is planned between the Egypt-Alexandria Desert Road Monorail Station and the Alexandria Desert Road transport terminal.
El-Wazir described the monorail as a major step forward for Egypt’s public transport system, citing its speed, modern design and safety features. He said it would help reduce fuel consumption, pollution and congestion on major roads while encouraging commuters to shift from private cars to public transport.
The East and West Nile Monorail lines have a combined length of around 100 km and 35 stations. Each line has a planned capacity of about 500,000 passengers a day.
Monorail trains currently consist of four cars, with plans to increase the number to eight as passenger demand grows.
The network will serve major schools, universities, hospitals, mosques, shopping centres, residential communities and industrial areas, including Al-Ahram Canadian University, 6th of October University, Nile University, Al-Hosary Mosque, Police Mosque, Dar Al Fouad Hospital, Mall of Egypt, Mall of Arabia, Hyper One and Cityscape.
It will also serve social housing and development projects in southern 6th of October, the city’s industrial and banking districts, and connect with major roads including the Cairo-Alexandria Desert Road, Mansouriya Road, Mariouteya Axis and the Ring Road.
The network will also serve major sports clubs and facilities, including Zamalek, Tersana, Engineers Syndicate, 6th of October and Al Ahly clubs.
