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Sadat metro station in Tahrir Square to reopen for connecting passengers -- but not access to the square -- after being closed since August for security reasons
Ahram Online , Tuesday 8 Apr 2014
Cairo's central metro station Sadat, which lies under Tahrir Square, will finally start operating after months of closure – but only to allow for the transit between two underground subway lines.
The doors of the station will remain closed, preventing any exit to Tahrir.
The head of the state-run company that manages the metro, Ali Fadaly, told state news agency MENA that the reopening of Sadat would help reduce congestion at Shohadaa station, one stop away to the north by Ramses Square and, until Sadat starts working again, the only other station where passengers can change between the first and second metro lines.
Fadaly said Sadat's operation will start within 20 days time.
The Sadat station was closed following the bloody dispersal of a sit-in supporting ousted Islamist president Mohamed Morsi by security forces in August, amid nationwide protests and violence by Morsi supporters.
Officials said the station was closed due to "security reasons," possibly to stave off pro-Morsi protesters from reaching Tahrir Square.
Approximately 3 million Egyptians use the metro for transportation on a daily basis, according to Egypt's State Information Service (SIS).
：地下鉄三号線 アッバセーヤからヘリオポリスまで延伸へ アハラム報道 ※アハラム写真の車両は２号線のもの h
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New Cairo Metro line that links Abbasiya with Heliopolis will open in few days
New line is 7.7 kilometers long and is part of a larger project that will ultimately stretch 43.5 kilometers from Cairo airport to Imbaba
Ahram Online, Tuesday 29 Apr 2014
The second phase of Cairo’s underground third line will be opened in few days after the Egyptian transportation minister confirmed that the new trains are ready to carry passengers, state’s Al-Ahram daily newspaper reported on Tuesday.
The new phase –around 7.7 kilometers long –contains four tunnel stations (Cairo’s exhibition, Stadium, Koleyet Al-Banat and Al-Ahram) and will link between Abbasiya and the northeastern suburb of Heliopolis.
According to the transportation minister, Ibrahim El-Demery, the new route –which was due to be completed in 2013 –will be operated through seven air-conditioned and Egypt-manufactured trains.
He added that the whole phase is worth LE4.3 billion and will transport around 600,000 passengers per day along with the first phase, which links two of Cairo busiest squares: Atatba, just south of downtown, and Abbasiya, several kilometres to the northeast.
A total of 124 employees of the Egyptian Co. for Metro Management & Operation have been assigned to provide the second phase’s services that reportedly will be opened 5th May in a celebration attended by Egypt’s president and prime minister.
In September 2012, Egypt’s government agreed 940 million euros ($1.2bn) worth of loans with the French Development Agency and the European Investment Bank to help fund an extension to Cairo's third Metro line (The third phase).
The European Investment Back (EIB) has, meanwhile, contributed 600 million euros ($779.4 million) to be repaid over 25 years within the same grace period.
When complete, Cairo's third metro line will stretch 43.5 kilometres from Cairo airport to Imbaba in Giza. The third phase of the line will be 18 km in length and include 15 stations, according to the ministry statement. A fourth line is due to be completed by 2019.
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New Abbasiya-Heliopolis metro line opens in Cairo
Long-awaited underground line linking Abbassiya with northeastern suburb of Heliopolis is up and running in Cairo as of Wednesday
Ahram Online , Wednesday 7 May 2014
A long-anticipated new metro line linking Cairo's Abbasiya and the northeastern suburb of Heliopolis -- the second phase of Cairo's third underground line -- was inaugurated on Wednesday morning in a ceremony attended by Egypt's interim President Adly Mansour.
The new phase, which was due for completion in 2013, contains four tunnel stations: Exhibition Grounds, Cairo Stadium, Kolleyet Al-Banat and Al-Ahram.
According to Transport Minister Ibrahim El-Demery, who was present at the inauguration along with Prime Minister Ibrahim Mahlab, the new route is 7.7 kilometres long and will be operated through seven air-conditioned and Egypt-manufactured trains.
It is expected to transport around 600,000 passengers daily along with the first phase, which links two of Cairo's busiest squares: Ataba, just south of Downtown Cairo, and Abbassiya, several kilometres to the northeast.
The phase is worth LE4.3 billion and will employ 124 workers from the Egyptian Co. for Metro Management & Operation.
In September 2012, Egypt’s government agreed 940 million euros worth of loans with the French Development Agency and the European Investment Bank to help fund an extension to Cairo's third metro line (the third phase).
The European Investment Bank (EIB) has, meanwhile, contributed 600 million euros to be repaid over 25 years within the same grace period.
When complete, Cairo's third metro line will stretch 43.5 kilometres from Cairo airport to Imbaba in Giza. The third phase of the line will be 18 kilometres long and include 15 stations, according to a transport ministry statement. A fourth line is due to be completed by 2019.
A sprawling metropolis with well over 16 million inhabitants, according to latest figures, Greater Cairo has for years wrestled with a growing traffic congestion problem.
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UPDATE 2: Six small bombs explode in various Cairo locations, injuring 6
Four small bombs explode in four Cairo metro stations early Wednesday, causing six injuries, while two others detonate near a Heliopolis courthouse damaging only vehicles
Ahram Online, Wednesday 25 Jun 2014
Three small bombs exploded minutes apart in three Cairo metro stations during early morning rush hour on Wednesday, injuring at least five people, according to Al-Ahram's Arabic news website, with a fourth blast injuring a sixth passenger reported later by the same source.
The first three metro blasts were followed an hour later by two other bombs near a courthouse in Heliopolis, eyewitnesses and Al-Ahram's Arabic news website have reported.
The metro blasts injured three people at the Shubra station, medics and security sources said, while state TV has reported one injury at the Ghamra station. A senior ambulance official, Mohamed Sultan, said the fifth injury occurred at the Hadyek Al-Quba station, and the sixth injury, reported by Al-Ahram's Arabic new website, took place at the Ezbet Al-Nakhl station.
The Ministry of Interior said in a statement on Facebook, however, that only two blasts had taken place: one in the Shubra station and the other in the Ghamra station.
The first blast, which took place in the northern Shubra station, interior ministry spokesman Abdel-Fattah Othman said, was caused by an improvised bomb, while the second resulted of a sonic explosive placed in a rubbish bin at Ghamra station, on a different metro line.
A person who appeared to be carrying a home-made bomb was wounded at the Shubra station, the ministry statement went on, adding that no one was injured in the Ghamra station blast.
The ministry spokesman also said that one of the injured in the metro station blasts was a suspect.
An official at the metro company told state news agency MENA that metro services are operating normally.
The two improvised bombs in the upscale Heliopolis district were placed underneath two cars outside a courthouse, Al-Ahram said, adding that the blasts damaged the cars but left no injuries.
A third home-made explosive device planted in the vicinity was defused, according to Al-Ahram.
Security sources continue to comb the sites of the blasts for further explosives, the interior ministry said.
Wednesday's Cairo explosions come after weeks of relative calm that followed a previous spate of frequent violence and palpable volatility.
Islamist militants had stepped up attacks in Egypt since the army's ouster of Islamist president Mohamed Morsi last July amid massive protests against his rule and an ensuing deadly crackdown on his supporters.
Former army chief Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi, who led Morsi's ouster, was sworn in as Egypt's new president earlier in June after he won a lopsided election victory.
Most of the attacks, mainly targeting security forces, had been initially focused in the sparsely populated Sinai Peninsula but eventually spilled over into other cities, including Cairo and the Nile Delta.
According to a government tally, the violence has killed at least 500, mostly policemen and troops.
Ansar Beit Al-Maqdis (Supporters of Jerusalem), an Al-Qaeda-inspired group based in Sinai, has claimed some of the deadliest attacks on security forces, as well as a failed assassination attempt on the interior minister in September.
It says the violence is in retaliation for the state clampdown on Islamists.
Egypt's metro officials demand fare hike amid government reluctance
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Egypt's subway officials demand higher fares to offset millions of pounds of monthly losses; El-Sisi says price rise is unlikely
Ayat Al-Tawy, Monday 25 Aug 2014
Egypt's metro officials have renewed calls for a higher ticket price amid substantial losses the vital mode of transport has been suffering and government hesitation.
While the country's subway has provided a cheap means of transport for millions of average Egyptians for some ten years without a fare increase, demands by metro officials have been rising in recent weeks to push the price of the LE1 ticket up to twofold.
The facility's losses across its three lines and 64 stations have amounted to LE180 million (around $25 million) in the fiscal year 2014/2015.
Revenues stemming from the low ticket price are no match for the enormous expenses for power, routine maintenance and security, said the chief of the metro operator.
The metro's third line, which is the shortest and most recently inaugurated, has incurred a monthly deficit of LE4 million ($570,000) alone, Ali Fadaly, head of the Egyptian Co. for Metro Management and Operation (ECMMO) told Ahram Online.
"The line's receipts are around LE2 million ($285,000) a month and we spend some LE6 million ($857,000) on the maintenance bill, salaries and the other elements, meaning that we face a monthly deficit of LE4 million ($570,000) of the third line alone," Fadaly said.
ECMMO employs around some 7,500 employees.
The older the 25-year-old service grows, the more maintenance costs it faces, officials say.
The executive emphasised they have repeatedly been calling for a twofold rise in ticket price to LE2 , something he argues will not deeply affect average Egyptians. Authorities seem to be reluctant though, as such a move is one that analysts say might provoke a public backlash among Egyptians who are still bearing the brunt of an economy battered by three years of political turmoil.
Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi stated there will be no rise in ticket price.
"Lifting the subsidy on metro ticket prices will cause them to rise to LE9," El-Sisi said during a meeting with local newspaper editors on Sunday, as quoted by the official news agency MENA.
El-Sisi stressed that the government would continue to subsidise public transportation, namely the metro, taking into consideration the "economic difficulties" from which Egyptians have been suffering
Over 3.5 million commuters in the sprawling metropolis of Greater Cairo's 21 million inhabitants rely on the service for their daily travel, according to official estimates by the country's national tunnels authority. Cairo has for years wrestled with an insurmountable traffic congestion problem on its chaotic, crowded streets.
nidentified suspects toss sound bombs in two metro stations in Cairo, causing no damage or injuries
MENA, Tuesday 9 Sep 2014
Sound bombs were tossed by unidentified suspects on Tuesday in Sayeda Zeinab and Zahraa El-Maadi metro stations, causing no casualties, said an interior ministry official.
The official told state news agency MENA that no injuries or damage had been caused.
A state of alert was announced in metro stations on Tuesday in anticipation of protests, according to Ali Fadali, head of the Egyptian Company for Metro Management and Operation.
Dank, a new youth movement, had released a video calling for protests on Tuesday against poverty and worsening living conditions.
Metro ticket price to be increased starting Janaury | Egypt Independent
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Al-Masry Al-Youm
The Cabinet has agreed with Ministry of Transportation on raising the metro ticket price to start at LE1.5 for nine stops, reaching LE3 for all stops of the three metro lines, governmental sources said.
The decision will be applied in January after new smart gates are installed.
The stops were divided into four categories, the sources added. First one will include nine stops for LE1.5, second will include 15 stops at LE2, third one will include 25 stops at LE2.5 and the fourth will include all the stops for LE3
The sources blamed the decision on the huge deficit in financing the rest of stages of the third line as well as the fourth line which will link between al-Malek al-Saleh stop reaching out to 6 October city at costs of LE20 billion.
Estimates by Transportation Ministry showed a 10 percent increase in number of passengers since fuel prices were raised in July.
Metro ticket prices may rise if the government is unable to increase revenues through advertising
Waad Ahmed , Monday 22 Dec 2014
Egyptians could be looking at yet another price hike in transportation costs as the government plans to study raising ticket prices for Cairo's metro.
A ride in Cairo's underground metro, the fastest way to move around the capital, is sold for LE1 ($0.13) per ticket for all destinations for customers despite a cost of LE9 for the government, said Mohamed Ezz Eddin, spokesperson for the transportation ministry. The government will study options to increase revenues, including raising ticket prices, at the beginning of 2015, he said.
"We will study whether advertisement inside the metro would be enough to cover the operation costs," Ezz Eddin said adding that if not, prices may be raised in accordance with "the number of stations travelled to by each passenger."
A state-owned railway management firm has acquired exclusive rights to advertise on the metro's three lines for LE175 million ($24.5 million) over the next five years, the Egyptian Company for Metro Management and Operation (ECMMO) said in November.
The cost of transportation in Egypt rose significantly after the government cut fuel subsidies in July, raising prices at the pump by up to 78 percent. Fares for taxis and the more accessible, privately operated 14-passenger microbuses increased as a result. Public transportation on the other hand, primarily buses and the Metro, maintained prices.
Built in the 1980's, Cairo's metro transported about four million passengers daily in the 2013/14 fiscal year, according to ECMMO. The company expects to transport about 6 million passengers daily in 2019/2020.
Ezz Eddin said that any additional revenues raised will be used to upgrade the metro, "we plan to buy new air-conditioned trains and replace older ones to make the ride more humane in the summer heat," he said.
But for Ibrahim Ali, a middle-aged lawyer who takes the metro to go to court daily, the metro will remain his transportation of choice, even if ticket price is increased.
"I don't have an alternative, the metro is still cheaper than microbuses but price hikes will put pressure on my budget," he said as he went to ride the Metro from the downtown station named after late president Gamal Abdel Nasser.
Salma, a pharmacy student in Cairo University said she might have to take a longer route if the ticket price increases to more than LE3.
A new phase of Cairo's third metro line linking Abbasiya in Central Cairo and the northeastern suburb of Heliopolis was inaugurated earlier this year. Once completed, the new line will stretch 43.5 kilometres from Cairo airport to Imbaba in Giza.
A fourth line is due to be completed by 2019.
France has already funded the construction of Egypt's three metro lines from 1979 to 2012, with loans amounting to roughly €1.2 billion ($1.47 billion), international cooperation minister, Naglaa El-Ahwany, said last week.
Egypt's transportation minister insists that underground ticket prices won't increase from their flat fare rate of LE1
Ahram Online , Saturday 10 Jan 2015
Egypt's cabinet has no intention of increasing the price of metro tickets, said Minister of Transportation Hani Dahi one week after saying the government was studying a new pricing mechanism.
"Only the prime minister (Ibrahim Mahlab) is entitled to make that decision, not the Ministry of Transportation, as some say," Dahi was quoted as saying by Al-Ahram's Arabic news website.
"The government has no intention to raise the Metro fare."
Dahi also strenuously denied the government's intention to increase the price from LE1 ($0.13) to LE25 ($3.5), saying this rumour was an attempt to "destabilise the country."
Late last month, Dahi reportedly clarified that the actual cost to the government of a ticket to ride the underground metro in the Cairo metropolitan area costs LE25.
That didn't mean passengers would pay more than the usual LE1 fare, he reiterated.
The minister said last month that setting metro ticket prices depending on journey length, or raising the flat rate for all destinations, could be considered.
Earlier, Mohamed Ezz Eddin, spokesperson for the transportation ministry, told Ahram Online that the government would study whether increasing advertisements inside the metro would be enough to cover operation costs.
If not, prices may be raised in accordance with "the number of stations travelled to by each passenger,” he said.
A new phase of Cairo's third metro line linking Abbasiya in Central Cairo and the northeastern suburb of Heliopolis was inaugurated earlier this year. Once completed, the line will stretch 43.5 kilometres from Cairo International Airport to Imbaba in Giza.
According to Dahi, a fourth line funded by a French company would be signed soon. It should be completed by 2019.
Egypt's transportation minister insists that underground ticket prices won't increase from their flat fare rate of LE1
Ahram Online , Saturday 10 Jan 2015
Egypt's cabinet has no intention of increasing the price of metro tickets, said Minister of Transportation Hani Dahi one week after saying the government was studying a new pricing mechanism.
"Only the prime minister (Ibrahim Mahlab) is entitled to make that decision, not the Ministry of Transportation, as some say," Dahi was quoted as saying by Al-Ahram's Arabic news website.
"The government has no intention to raise the Metro fare."
Dahi also strenuously denied the government's intention to increase the price from LE1 ($0.13) to LE25 ($3.5), saying this rumour was an attempt to "destabilise the country."
Late last month, Dahi reportedly clarified that the actual cost to the government of a ticket to ride the underground metro in the Cairo metropolitan area costs LE25.
That didn't mean passengers would pay more than the usual LE1 fare, he reiterated.
The minister said last month that setting metro ticket prices depending on journey length, or raising the flat rate for all destinations, could be considered.
Earlier, Mohamed Ezz Eddin, spokesperson for the transportation ministry, told Ahram Online that the government would study whether increasing advertisements inside the metro would be enough to cover operation costs.
If not, prices may be raised in accordance with "the number of stations travelled to by each passenger,” he said.
A new phase of Cairo's third metro line linking Abbasiya in Central Cairo and the northeastern suburb of Heliopolis was inaugurated earlier this year. Once completed, the line will stretch 43.5 kilometres from Cairo International Airport to Imbaba in Giza.
According to Dahi, a fourth line funded by a French company would be signed soon. It should be completed by 2019.
Metro station in Tahrir Square will reopen 'soon' according to the head of Cairo's transport police
Marina Barsoum , Thursday 5 Feb 2015
Cairo's central Sadat metro station will reopen soon after being closed for a year and half, the head of police transportation police, Major Gen. El-Sayed Gad has told Ahram Online.
"We are preparing the station so that it will be fully ready for operation," said Gad, without confirming the reopening date.
Sadat station was closed following the bloody dispersal of a sit-in supporting ousted Islamist president Mohamed Morsi by security forces in August 2013, amid nationwide protests and violence.
Meanwhile, Minister of Transportation Hani Dahi said in December that Sadat metro station should be in full operation by the beginning of 2015.
Eye witnesses told Al-Ahram Arabic news website that they have been observing cleaners outside the station.
Officials said the station was closed for "security reasons," possibly to prevent pro-Morsi protesters from reaching Tahrir Square.
Approximately three million people use the metro on a daily basis, according to Egypt's State Information Service (SIS).
The station is located under the famous Tahrir Square. Its closure has caused chaos and crowding in many other stations.
In January, the Commissioners at the State Council recommended obliging the government to reopen the station, as they have been getting more and more complaints.
In their report, the commissioners said there were no "realistic or legal" justifications for the continued closure of the station.
Also, a group of citizens filed a lawsuit against the president and the minister of interior over the closure of the station, one of only two stations where millions of underground travellers can swap between Cairo's two longer metro lines.
Metro transportation is known to be one of the fastest and cheapest means of transportation in Cairo. A metro ticket costs LE1 which is equivalent to 13 cents.
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The government is engaged in a large project to expand the underground metro network to some of Cairo's satellite districts
Ahram Online , Thursday 16 Apr 2015
Digging operations for a new stage of the third metro line in Cairo began on Thursday, the cabinet said in a statement.
The fourth stage extends for 5.5 kilometers and includes five stations mainly in east Cairo’s Masr El-Gedida area, among them are stations in the upscale Heliopolis district and another in the populous middle-class Alf Maskan.
The costs of building these stations, excluding moving vehicles, amounts to LE 4.4 billion, the cabinet said.
Prime Minister Ibrahim Mahlab called for a speedy completion of the project.
Nine stations are currently operating on the third metro line and extend from Attaba near downtown Cairo to Ahram in Korba, Masr El-Gedida.
Once fully completed, the third line is expected to span from Cairo airport to Cairo University, passing through downtown Cairo and the densely-populated, working class district of Imbaba.
Construction of the fourth metro line, expected to reach to the Sixth of October suburb, in Giza, south of Cairo, is set to start in early 2016.
The Egyptian government is currently engaged in implementing the “Transport Plan for 2030” that includes expanding the underground metro network by adding two new metro lines – the third and the fourth - to connect greater Cairo's sprawling suburbs.
It also includes forming a new electric train connecting the new capital on Suez Road - yet to be constructed - with nearby suburbs including Sherouk, Obour, 10th of Ramadan and El-Salam.
At least 3.5 million people use the metro on a daily basis in Cairo, according to Egypt's State Information Service (SIS).
Metro transportation is one of the fastest and cheapest means of transportation in Cairo. A ticket only costs LE1 which is equivalent to US13 cents.
カイロ地下鉄車両 試運転で壁にぶつかる （三号線？） ；Egypt's underground metro goes off rail, crashes in wall
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The crashing train had no passengers, but seriously injured the driver
Ahram Online , Sunday 26 Apr 2015
An underground train came off the rails on Sunday and crashed into a wall, seriously injuring the driver.
The metro line, which links El-Ataba square near downtown Cairo to the upscale district of Heliopolis, had no passengers at the time of the crash, the company running the metro said.
The train was coming out of maintenance on a branch line and crashed while going back on to the main rail.
The cost of the crash has yet to be estimated.
Egypt has been working on launching a new metro line to connect different areas between Cairo and Giza.
Sunday's accident was on a newly-launched third metro line.
At least 3.5 million people use the metro on a daily basis in Cairo, according to Egypt's State Information Service (SIS).
Metro transportation is one of the fastest and cheapest means of transportation in Cairo. A ticket costs LE1, which is equivalent to US13 cents.
カイロ地下鉄三号線 運行再開 ：Cairo's third metro line back to full operation: Minister
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A train derailed and crashed into a wall at Abbasiya station on Sunday, halting operations
Ahram Online , Wednesday 29 Apr 2015
Cairo's third metro line, which was disrupted following an accident, is now fully operational, the transport minister said on Wednesday.
An empty train derailed on Sunday and crashed into a wall near Abbasiya station, seriously injuring its driver.
The minister inspected safety equipment on trains and in Abbasiya station before resuming operations, according to state news agency MENA.
Workers on the third line staged a strike in the wake of the incident in solidarity with their injured colleague as unconfirmed reports blamed him for the incident.
Head of the metro operations company later said that the train experienced technical problems, and investigations revealed that he had tried several methods to stop the train before it crashed.
The third line, which currently connects downtown Attaba station with Al-Ahram in upscale Heliopolis, partially resumed operations Monday evening. Trains ran separately between stations before and after Abbasiya without connecting through it.
At least 3.5 million people use the metro on a daily basis in Egypt's capital, according to the State Information Service.
Metro transportation is one of the fastest and cheapest means of transportation in Cairo for struggling working class people and middle income layers of the population.
A ticket costs LE1, which is equivalent to US13 cents.
Al-Masry Al-Youm
After almost 700 days of closure, Anwar al-Sadat metro station will most probably be reopened before the start of the holy fasting month of Ramadan which begins on Thursday, said transport Minister Hany Dahy.
“Let’s be optimistic, the final decision will be taken within hours,” the minister replied during a tour at the Alexandria port on Saturday when asked about reports that the reopening date had been set for Wednesday.
Sadat station has been closed for security reasons since July 2013, during the peak of political turmoil that followed the ouster of former President Mohamed Morsi.
The vital metro station leads up to Cairo’s Tahrir Square, a favorite protest venue since the 2011 uprising. It is also the closest station to the Interior Ministry and the US embassy.
Authorities have, since then, made frequent declarations of an imminent reopening but backtracked on the plans every time.
An official at the Interior Ministry told Al-Masry Al-Youm that the ministry has a plan to secure all subway stations, including al-Sadat.
Egyptian metro riders relieved as Sadat station reopensAfter more than 650 days out of action, the reopening of one of Cairo's major subway stations leaves thousands breathing a sigh of relief
Ayat Al Tawy , Wednesday 17 Jun 2015
Cairo's main central metro station, Sadat, came back into operation on Wednesday after almost two years of closure, in a move expected to allay pressure on millions of strap-hangers inconvenienced by the shutdown.
"I am so happy [with the reopening] that I wanted to go kiss the walls of the station," 20-year-old university student Omneya joked.
She is one of thousands of riders who have had 30 to 90 minutes, and sometimes extra cash, added to their daily commute because of the shutting down of Sadat – a major hub for switching between metro lines.
Lying under the iconic Tahrir Square--the epicenter of the 2011 uprising and a venue of many mass protests and clashes, Sadat has been closed by the police since August 2013 for "security reasons," on the back of nationwide unrest after the violent security dispersal of two Cairo protest camps by supporters of ousted president Mohamed Morsi.
The long-awaited reopening is expected to ease severe congestion caused at other vital downtown stations, namely Al-Shohadaa – another switching stop three stations from Sadat.
"It was insane to merge the traffic of two stations into one, especially in an area as vital as central Cairo," middle-aged lawyer Sabry Sabry said.
"Now they will spare us not only the time but also the bumper crowds we suffered."
Security was beefed up at the station as Transport Minister Hani Dahi paid a visit in the early morning to ensure a smooth operation.
Around half a dozen policemen stood post at each platform, as policewomen were seen thoroughly searching passengers' handbags.
Officials say metal detectors and x-ray machines have been installed as part of enhanced security measures.
Feeling a flicker of excitement, a woman ululated as she waited for the train and a man was seen waving national flags.
"We promised we would reopen the station before Ramadan and we have fulfilled the promise," Dahi said during his tour, in reference to the Islamic holy month of Ramadan that begins on Thursday.
He said the move was to "alleviate pressure on Egyptians" during the fasting month.
Over 3.5 million of Greater Cairo's 21 million inhabitants rely on the subway for their daily travel, according to official estimates by the country's national tunnels authority.
It was believed that the authorities closed the station to thwart attempts by Morsi supporters to use the fast and cheap underground transport system to mobilise large protests in Tahrir.
But many tend to believe that the almost two-year shutdown was beyond the pale.
"[The authorities] could have tightened security and opened it at least a year ago," Mervat Mehanny, a civil servant, said. "Things have been pretty calm for quite a while, but [the government] often takes right decisions at the wrong time."
Omneya, the student, agrees.
"The step has come too late. Now our exams are finished and the universities have closed."
Even so, others are of the view that the closure was necessary to secure central Cairo, home to a large number of ministries and powerful state institutions which were occasionally targeted by a simmering insurgency launched by Islamist militants.
First air-conditioned train launched on Cairo's oldest metro line
Ayat Al Tawy , Thursday 18 Jun 2015
The first air-conditioned subway train has come into operation on Cairo's oldest metro line, part of a plan to bring some 20 such trains into action in the capital.
In a city where summer often gets swelteringly hot, conditions can become really harsh for some 3.5 million daily passengers in the often crowded cars.
The new train – which ran early Thursday in the first of Cairo's three lines – was launched to make transportation easier for Egyptians during the fasting Islamic month of Ramadan which began today, the spokesman of the metro operation company, Ahmed Abdel-Hady, told Ahram Online.
It travelled on the Helwan-Marg line.
The second air-conditioned train is also due to come into service during the holy month.
Cairo's newest metro line already has air-conditioned carriages.
The new addition comes as part of a LE2.2 billion ($301.4 million) deal with a Korean firm to bring 20 air-conditioned trains into service, in a plan that is expected to take years.
Officials say a train arrives in Egypt from Korea every 45 days and testing of each takes about two months before it becomes operational.
Another Spanish firm hired by the Egyptian Co. for Metro Management and Operation (ECMMO) is currently conducting studies to air condition 53 trains already in operation in the first, partly above-ground line.
Sadat metro station in central Cairo was only re-opened two weeks ago after being closed for two years
Ahram Online , Tuesday 30 Jun 2015
Tahrir Square’s Sadat metro station will be closed indefinitely starting Tuesday morning, Al-Ahram Arabic news website reported.
Khaled Sabra, the CEO of the Egyptian Corporation for Metro Management & Operation, said in a media statement that the station would shut its doors indefinitely for security reasons.
Cairo’s main central metro station was re-opened at the beginning of the Holy Month of Ramadan on 17 June after a two-year-closure following the dispersal of pro-Mohamed Morsi sits-in at Rabaa and Nahda squares in the summer of 2013.
The decision comes less than 24 hours after the assassination of Egypt’s prosecutor-general Hisham Barakat.
Barakat died on Monday in hospital after sustaining serious injuries in a blast which targeted his motorcade in Heliopolis.
Barakat, who was 65 years old, is to be buried today.
Egypt Independent
The Egyptian authorities reopened on Saturday the Sadat Metro station, according to the Egyptian Company for Metro Management and Operation (ECMMO) spokesman, Ahmed Abdel Hady.
The metro station, situated under Tahrir Square, was closed last Tuesday in fear of protests on the anniversary of the June 30 revolution.
It had recently been reopened, after it was shut down for nearly two years.
；Free train services in Egypt on Thursday to mark new Suez Canal
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Inauguration of a new channel of the Suez Canal takes place on Thursday
Ahram Online , Tuesday 4 Aug 2015
Egypt's Transportation Minister Hany Dahy has said that Egyptians will be able to use railways services for free on Thursday, on the occasion of the inauguration of the "new Suez Canal" waterway.
In a television interview on Saturday, Dahy said that it was a gesture of thanks to the Egyptian people who had financed the digging of the new waterway in only seven days -- a reference to the LE64 billion-worth of Suez Canal bonds used to finance much of the project.
Metro services in the governorates of Cairo and Giza will also be free from 4pm to 8pm on Thursday, the minister added.
The capital's underground metro stations have already begun to celebrate the coming ceremony, by broadcasting patriotic songs on their internal radio stations.
The new Suez Canal waterway, an extension to part of the existing Suez Canal, will be inaugurated on Thursday by President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi. Global figures are expected to attend the event.
Free services around Cairo on ThursdayParks, museums, and public transportation will be free of charge in celebration of new Suez Canal waterway
Ahram Online , Wednesday 5 Aug 2015
In celebration of the inauguration of the "new Suez Canal" waterway, Governor of Cairo Galal Saeed announced on Wednesday that free bus services will take effect on Thursday and entrance to all parks will be free for the following two days, state news agency MENA reported.
Saeed said that the gesture encourages Egyptians to celebrate the opening of the Suez Canal and to provide smooth transportation without having to worry about parking or traffic jams.
"Stages were placed in the Old Cairo districts of Al-Sayeda Zeinab, Sultan Hassan, and Abdeen, in addition to Roxy, where national music and traditional dances will be performed," said Saeed, adding that screens will be available to live stream the opening of the Suez Canal.
On Tuesday, Egypt's Transportation Minister Hany Dahy said that Egyptians will be able to board railways for free and Metro services in the governorates of Cairo and Giza will be available for free from 4pm to 8pm on Thursday.
Streetlights and signage all around Cairo are being repaired. Additionally, Ismailia-Suez road and roads to and from the airport will be paved, stated Saeed.
Minister of Antiquities Mamdouh El-Damaty announced that all museums and archaeological sites around Egypt are to be opened for free on Thursday.
El-Damaty calls on all Egyptians to visit museums and archaeological sites within their governorate to celebrate the opening of the new Suez Canal waterway, adding that Egyptians should send the whole world a message that Egypt is safe and that Egyptians are proud of their heritage.
The new Suez Canal waterway, an extension of the existing Suez Canal, will be inaugurated on Thursday by President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi. International heads of state are expected to attend the event.
Transport minister increases third metro line ticket prices tenfold | Egypt Independent
On
Tue, 29/12/2015 - 15:32
MENA
Transport Minister Saad el-Geyoushi said Tuesday that tickets for the third line of Cairo’s metro will increase from LE1 to LE10 for full journeys from its starting and ending stops.
Tickets for the first phase of that line, which includes five stops, will sell for LE3, rising to LE4 for journeys ending with the the second phase (four stops), the minister said in exclusive statements to state-run news agency MENA.
Egypt already has two old operative lines, with the third line partially finished. It plans to finish three extra lines by 2030. Construction for the fourth stage of the third line began last April.
According to the minister, one subway line costs “both the state and citizens” nearly LE48 billion. He said ticket prices will always be connected with operation costs, “yet cheaper than other private sector transportations,” as he put it.
Earlier reports about possible increases to metro ticket prices caused a public stir as the transportation system is an indispensable means of traveling across Cairo.
Edited translation from MENA
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ttp://www.egyptindependent.com//news/transport-minister-increases-third-metro-line-ticket-prices-tenfold @egyindependentさんから
Al-Masry Al-Youm
MENA
Transport Ministry spokesperson Ahmed Ibrahim denied the increase of metro fares to LE10 as circulated by some media outlets.
"An increase by any means could never reach LE10," he said in a phone interview on al-Asema channel Wednesday evening.
"The Transport Ministry will strike with an iron fist at anyone who wants to disrupt the trains," he said, adding that recent train delays were deliberate.
Ibrahim pointed out that the subsidized metro ticket costs the state LE10, but will never be sold to the public at that price.
Transport Minister Saad el-Geyoushi was quoted as saying on Tuesday that tickets for the third line of Cairo’s metro will increase from LE1 to LE10 for full journeys from its starting and ending stops.
Egypt already has two old operative lines, with the third line partially finished. It plans to finish three extra lines by 2030. Construction for the fourth stage of the third line began last April.
According to the minister, one subway line costs “both the state and citizens” nearly LE48 billion. He said ticket prices will always be connected with operation costs, “yet cheaper than other private sector transportations,” as he put it.
Earlier reports about possible increases to metro ticket prices caused a public stir as the transportation system is an indispensable means of traveling across Cairo.
Al-Masry Al-Youm
Egypt will increase the price of metro tickets from LE1 to a minimum of LE1.5, according to cabinet spokesperson Hossam Qawish, although he said no timetable has been set for the price rise.
Qawish made the comments on Wednesday, during a phone call to a talk-show on MBC Masr television channel.
However, he said that prices will not be increased for students, the elderly and the disabled.
He indicated two proposals under consideration: an overall increase, regardless of the distance traveled; or price rises based on the number of stations in a journey.
He stressed that the government is keen on pumping more investment into the transportation sector.
His comments were echoed on Wednesday by Prime Minister Sherif Ismail, who said in a press conference that the government is committed to raising metro ticket prices.
"The government cannot continue to offer the metro service at the same price," he told journalists.
On Monday, the Transport Ministry released details of a study showing that ticket prices for the Cairo metro system are very heavily subsidized.
According to the study, tickets are approximately 96 percent subsidized by the government, a figure predicted to reach 97 percent with the LE130 billion construction of the third line.
The unsubsidized price of a ticket would be LE25, the study stated.
Due in part to low ticket prices, the metro system makes losses of LE22 million monthly, with an negative impact on maintenance and operations.
Sadat metro station has witnessed multiple closures since the ouster of Islamist ex-president Mohamed Morsi in 2013
Ahram Online , Wednesday 25 Jan 2017
Egypt closed downtown Cairo's Sadat metro station over security concerns on Wednesday, the sixth anniversary of the popular revolution that toppled longtime president Hosni Mubarak.
The station has been shut down "due to security reasons. Trains [will] not stop at the station," the Egyptian Company for Metro Management and Operation said on its official Facebook page late on Tuesday.
Located under the iconic Tahrir Square -- the epicenter of the 2011 uprising and a venue of many mass protests and clashes -- Sadat station has been repeatedly closed for security reasons on multiple occasions since the 2013 ouster of Islamist president Mohamed Morsi.
The station's longest closure lasted nearly two years, beginning in August 2013 on the back of nationwide unrest following Morsi's removal.
The station is one of two hubs where commuters can switch between the city's two main lines.
Over 3.5 million of greater Cairo's 21 million inhabitants rely on the subway for their d
Egypt will increase the price of standard metro-tickets to EGP 2, doubling the cost from EGP 1, transport minister Hisham Arafat announced on Thursday.
In comments to state-run news agency MENA, Arafat said that the increase had previously been set at 3 EGP, but the minister had insisted on keeping it at 2 EGP.
Earlier on Thursday, a source at the ministry told Al-Ahram that special-needs passengers and "other categories" will have their tickets priced at EGP 1 and EGP 1.5, respectively. It's unclear which categories will be exempted from the EGP 2 pricing.
The announcement of the price increase follows approval by the cabinet on Thursday and a series of discussions in parliament in the attendance of Arafat.
No date has been set for the implementation of the price rise. However, the minister said it would take place "very soon".
The move follows a series of proposals by officials in recent years to increase ticket prices in order to fix the financial woes of Cairo's vital metro underground service.
Metro officials have repeatedly said the low ticket price, which has not been increased for over a decade, is a key factor in financial losses by the metro service. Officials have argued that increasing ticket prices could double annual revenues.
On Wednesday, Egypt's Prime Minister Sherif Ismail said the government is seeking to solve the financial troubles of the metro service, with has some EGP 500 million of debt.
Ismail told reporters that the first of the Metro's three existing lines alone requires 350 million euros worth of maintenance and upgrades, excluding debts and running costs.
Last week, the Cairo Metro Company's spokesman told Ahram Online that the company is failing to cover maintenance, electricity and water expenses due to a lack of resources.
Cairo’s underground train system, launched in 1987, is one of the oldest in the Middle East and Africa.
Over 3.5 million of Greater Cairo's 21 million inhabitants rely on the subway for their daily travel, according to estimates by the country's national tunnels authority.
Construction on the final phase of Cairo's third metro line is set to begin by June, according to Arafat.
A fourth line, financed through a loan from Japan, is planned and due to begin operations in 2019/20.
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Metro ticket price officially doubled to LE2 | Egypt Independent ht
tp://www.egyptindependent.com//news/metro-ticket-price-officially-doubled-le2 @egyindependentさんから
Transport Minister Hesham Arafat issued a decision doubling the metro ticket price to LE2 starting Friday.
The Cabinet approved the decision after it reviewed the financial situation of the National Authority for Tunnels which suffers from losses because of the metro service, Arafat said.
The decision was necessary to guarantee that the metro service would not be suspended and would be able to absorb the growing number of users after operating new lines, he added.
The increase in the metro tariff does not apply to the special offers made for the elderly and people with special needs, he pointed out.
The increase came in light of increases in electricity and spare-part prices, in addition to the need to carry out development projects, a statement by the Transport Ministry said Thursday evening.
The metro service has accrued losses of up to LE200 million annually, since 2010; beside accumulated debts of up to LE500 million, owed to a number of ministries and companies, according to the statement.
Mohamed al-Kurani, a member of the Transportation Committee of the House of Representatives, said that he would call for the Minister of Transport to be summoned on the back of the issuance of this decision; adding that the minister had promised members of the committee to develop solutions to avoid raising the price of the ticket.
MP Diaa Eddin Dawoud from Damietta governorate, presented an urgent statement to the parliament speaker Ali Abdel Aal to be submitted to the transport minister, over the ticket price increase.
He said that the increase added more burdens on citizens who were already exhausted by the government's decisions; describing those decisions as "not aimed at supporting people and their development;" he suggested instead that the rationalization of spending and busting corruption would be better solutions than collecting money from the pockets of citizens.
Dawoud described what he called the exclusion of the House of Representatives from such decisions as a very serious matter, and "an underestimation of Parliament that should not pass unnoticed."
The price increase is aimed at addressing the financial woes of Cairo's underground service
Ahram Online , Saturday 25 Mar 2017
An increase in the price of Egypt's standard single-fare Metro ticket went into effect Friday, doubling the cost to EGP 2.
In comments to state-run news agency MENA, Minister of Transport Hisham Arafat announced the increase on Thursday but did not set a date for its implementation.
Earlier Thursday, a source at the ministry told Al-Ahram that special needs passengers and "other categories" will have their tickets priced at EGP 1 and EGP 1.5, respectively. It's unclear who will be exempted from the EGP 2 pricing.
The move follows a series of proposals by officials in recent years to increase ticket prices in order to fix the financial woes of Cairo's vital Metro underground service.
A lawsuit was filed Saturday in an administrative court to halt the price increase decision.
Over 3.5 million of Greater Cairo's 21 million inhabitants rely on the Metro for their daily travel, as it is considered the one of the cheapest means of transportation, according to estimates by the country's national tunnels authority.
On Wednesday, Egypt's Prime Minister Sherif Ismail said the government is seeking to address the financial troubles of the Metro, which is struggling with a EGP 500 million debt.
Cairo’s underground system, launched in 1987, is one of the oldest in the Middle East and Africa.
