Transport Minister inspects high-speed rail project ahead of trial operations

Transport Minister Kamel al-Wazir inspected work on Sunday, August 30, 2026, along the first line of Egypt’s high-speed electric rail network, which runs from Ain Sokhna to Alamein and Matrouh, as preparations continue for trial operations on part of the line.

The first line stretches 660 km from Ain Sokhna on the Red Sea to Matrouh on the Mediterranean. al-Wazir inspected the section between Ain Sokhna station and the Central Capital station as part of efforts to meet President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi’s directives to complete mass-transit projects within their scheduled timelines, the transport ministry said.

al-Wazir was accompanied by the head of the National Authority for Tunnels, Tarek Gewily, and project consultants.

The minister first inspected a roughly 6-km rail connection between Ain Sokhna station and Ain Sokhna Port, designed to link the port to the high-speed rail line and facilitate freight transport to and from the port.

He then inspected Ain Sokhna and Central Capital stations, reviewing final finishing work, passenger flows from entrances to ticket halls and platforms, and plans to make the best administrative and commercial use of station space.

al-Wazir also reviewed work on service roads running alongside the track, ahead of the installation of ballast, sleepers and rails, as well as plans to use external roads to serve nearby residential areas, and he ordered work to be completed on access roads serving the stations from all traffic directions to facilitate passengers’ arrival.

al-Wazir also inspected a maintenance facility covering about 259,000 square meters near the Central Capital station and the main workshop for the first line, which covers 578 feddans (about 243 hectares) and will serve all three lines by operating the trains, carrying out major and minor overhauls, and storing up to 50 trains and locomotives.

He reviewed sections of the track handed over to the Siemens-Orascom Construction-Arab Contractors consortium for the installation of ballast and rails and overhead catenary poles, as well as electromechanical works and other systems.

Trial operations without passengers are expected to begin on one section of the first line in the coming months, with further non-passenger trials to follow according to the project’s timetable, the ministry said.

The minister also inspected completed bridges and other structures, including Wadi Hagoul Bridge, the June 30 Bridge, the new Quarries Bridge, Al-Khor Bridge, and Autostrade Bridge. He reviewed construction of bridges east of the Nile, the Nile bridge, and bridges west of the river, and called for the completion of rail and road bridges and flood culverts east of the Nile.

al-Wazir praised the work carried out by Egyptian workers and engineers, highlighting Al-Khor Bridge over Wadi Degla — 600 meters long, 90 meters high and 14 meters wide — as well as bridges south of Helwan and east of the Nile.

The high-speed rail network will connect different parts of Egypt, and the first line will provide a land link between the Red Sea and Mediterranean, which al-Wazir described as a “new Suez Canal on rails.”

The project extends beyond transportation, supporting industry, tourism, urban development and agriculture, attracting domestic and foreign investment, creating direct and indirect jobs, and reducing travel and transport costs, he said.

It will also connect newly developed areas with existing cities and strengthen Egypt’s position as a regional transport, logistics and transit-trade hub, he said.

The ministry said the stations had been designed to interchange with airports located near the network’s routes, facilitating travel between airports and destinations across Egypt and connecting the high-speed network with other public transport systems.

Construction is progressing simultaneously across the project’s various sections, with the overall completion date determined by the last activity to be completed, al-Wazir said.

Civil works, bridges and other structures, including tunnels, have been carried out domestically and paid for in Egyptian pounds from the budget of the National Authority for Tunnels; the same applies to construction, architectural and track works, including ballast, sleepers, poles and rails, he said.

Trains and signaling and control systems were initially imported, he said, adding that the government was working to localize transport industries, including rolling stock, components and systems.

The localization program includes factories operated by the National Egyptian Railways Industries Company (NERIC), Alstom and Coloway, as well as plants producing rails and sleepers, he said.

The minister also met engineers and workers on the project and conveyed President Sisi’s congratulations to them on the anniversary of the Prophet Muhammad’s birth, according to the ministry.

He said the ministry would allow engineers who wished to work abroad to take unpaid leave after five years of service with the ministry or its affiliated bodies and companies. It would also grant mandatory leave in certain circumstances, including leave to accompany a spouse, as well as childcare leave for female engineers, and regular, emergency and sick leave in accordance with government regulations.

Egypt’s high-speed electric rail network is planned to comprise four lines totaling 2,250 km, with the first three lines, covering about 2,000 km, currently under construction.

The first line, running from Ain Sokhna to Alamein and Matrouh, will include 21 stations, a control center, 15 high-speed trains, 34 regional trains and 14 freight locomotives.

The line will interchange with the Light Rail Transit (LRT) at the Central Capital station, the planned sixth metro line at Ahmed Omar Hashem station, the Cairo-Aswan diesel railway at Giza station, the West Nile Monorail at October station, and the second high-speed rail line at Hadayek October station.

Hadayek October station will also connect to the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system on Cairo’s Ring Road via a planned shuttle bus service. The first line will also connect with the Alexandria Metro at Borg El Arab station.

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