Egypt - General Information: Difference between revisions

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This page has been transferred to the Enthusiast's Guide to Travelling the Railways of the Rest of the World - see the relevant [https://www.egtrow.info/wiki/Egypt EGTROW page].
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==Country Name==
==Country Name==
Egypt, Misr مصر
Egypt, Misr مصر
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==Recent and future changes==
==Recent and future changes==
On 1 September 2021 the government announced a US$4·5bn contract for the construction of 660 km of ‘modern, safe, and integrated’ mixed traffic electrified railway connecting Ain Sokhna, on the Red Sea near Suez, with Alexandria and Marsa Matrouh on the Mediterranean via the New Administrative Capital and 6th October City. This is '''intended''' as the first phase of a planned 1 800 km railway development programme.
On 28 May 2022 Siemens announced it had signed an €8.1bn contract to
construct 2000 km of high-speed line and supply 41 Velaro high-speed trains, 94 Desiro regional trains and 41 Vectron freight locomotives. This includes €2.7bn agreed in September 2021 for the 660 km mixed traffic electrified railway connecting Ain Sokhna, on the Red Sea near Suez, with Alexandria and Marsa Matrouh on the Mediterranean via the New Administrative Capital and 6th October City. The second phase will comprise a 1100 km line from Cairo to Abu Simbel, near the Sudanese border. The third phase will comprise a 225 km line from Luxor to Hurghada, on the Red Sea, serving the key port of Safaga. The signalling will be based on ETCS Level 2.  


In March 2021 the World Bank approved a US$440m loan to support the Railway Improvement & Safety for Egypt (RISE) project, which has a total value of US$681·1m, with a US$241·1m contribution from ENR. It is a continuation of the ENR Restructuring Project concluded in 2020, which included the modernisation of signalling on the Alexandria – Cairo and Beni Suef – Nag Hammadi routes. RISE continues work on those routes, and renewal of track and signalling between Cairo and Beni Suef. Rail’s share of the passenger market is predicted to increase by 2029 from 8% to 15% and of the freight market from 6% to 10%.
In March 2021 the World Bank approved a US$440m loan to support the Railway Improvement & Safety for Egypt (RISE) project, which has a total value of US$681·1m, with a US$241·1m contribution from ENR. It is a continuation of the ENR Restructuring Project concluded in 2020, which included the modernisation of signalling on the Alexandria – Cairo and Beni Suef – Nag Hammadi routes. RISE continues work on those routes, and renewal of track and signalling between Cairo and Beni Suef. Rail’s share of the passenger market is predicted to increase by 2029 from 8% to 15% and of the freight market from 6% to 10%.
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==Special Notes==
==Special Notes==
Introduction: General comments and a focus on some of the more unusual sections based on travels around 2007 (with an update where available)
===Egyptian railways===
ENR is the most complex and densely trafficked system in Africa, with about 3500Km of passenger lines. Services are generally quite frequent and run largely on a daily, almost unchanging basis. The bulk of the system lies in the Nile delta, bounded by Cairo, Alexandria and Port Said. The only other lengthy routes are along the Mediterranean coast to Mersa Matruh and up the Nile Valley to Aswan, some 900Km south of Cairo.
 
===Cairo Termini===
Cairo’s main station is Ramses, which has some complications: services operating on the route to Etay el Barud (well north of Cairo) initially set off south over the Nile bridge but then veer off at Imbaba and run along the west bank of the western branch of the Nile. The two platforms are well out of sight, south of the overbridge, and accessed from the west side of Ramses. Cairo Furu’a terminus is very close to but separate from Ramses situated just to its north east, it is served by services to/from Minuf and most readily accessed by the subways part way down the platforms and walking up the side of the station; it enjoys a separate route from Shibra el Kheima about 5 km out most notably running around the carriage sidings away from Ramses. Opposite this and again close to Ramses is Limun station which was once apparently Italianate in style but now has a gloomy interior and an exterior like a bomb shelter. It takes traffic from Zaqazig and is accessed via a wholly different route from south of Shubra el-Kheima.  It can theoretically be accessed via a gate at the top end of Ramses platform 1 but if they have locked this it’s a 5-10 minute walk around the block.


===Travelling around by rail===
===Travelling around by rail===
In general rail travel in Egypt is not particularly difficult, nor are there any sections of the network from which foreigners are banned, although plenty where they are not expected to travel. Outside the tourist areas, one may be regarded with deep suspicion, and certainly curiosity, being probably the only westerner they have seen. “Where you go” is the standard question if they know any English. However, reports from Egypt are sparse, and the situation may change.</br>
In general rail travel in Egypt is not particularly difficult, nor are there any sections of the network from which foreigners are banned, although plenty where they are '''not''' expected to travel. Outside the tourist areas, one may be regarded with deep suspicion, and certainly curiosity, being probably the only westerner they have seen. “Where you go” is the standard question if they know any English. However, the police are clearly suspicious of anything different from normal tourism and often check up on people by claiming to "help" them.</br>
Consequently anybody intent on much of a trip (and certainly anywhere off the beaten track)should obtain the only available translation of the ENR timetable. This is based on the July 2004 timetable but, with some notable exceptions mentioned below, is still largely unchanged. Things have changed on some peripheral lines, as commented below.
Consequently anybody intent on much of a trip (and certainly anywhere off the beaten track) should obtain the only available translation of the ENR timetable. This is based on the July 2004 timetable but, apart from some withdrawals, is still largely unchanged.
 
===Photography===
===Photography===
Photography is technically illegal, and subject to fines and confiscation, as all public utilities are considered military installations. The current security situation means that this position has certainly not been relaxed.
Photography is technically illegal, and subject to fines and confiscation, as all public utilities are considered military installations. The current security situation means that this position has certainly not been relaxed.
However, a little common sense on where and when to take photos means there is usually no problem but one must be prepared for the occasional railway policeman or railway employee intervening. Conversely a correspondent was given cab rides and taken pictures quite openly, and even of train crew themselves at their insistence.  
However, a little common sense on where and when to take photos means there is usually no problem but one must be prepared for the occasional railway policeman or railway employee intervening. Conversely a correspondent was given cab rides and taken pictures quite openly, and even of train crew themselves at their insistence.
 
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To put ENR into context, it is certainly the most complex and densely trafficked system in Africa; services are generally quite frequent depending on context and run with the exceptions below on a daily almost unchanging basis; similarly trafficked systems in north Africa are all much smaller while the larger systems like South African Railways have typically only 1 train a day on a few principle routes. All of ENR is standard gauge , its passenger routes amount to about 3500Km; the only other significant passenger operations are trams and metro in Cairo (Sketchy reports indicate a lot of damage to Cairo tramway infrastructure during the assorted riots punctuating transition from one administration to another with trams burnt out and wires torn down and stolen, also the Helwan tramway system, south of Cairo,  has been reported as out of operation due to dewirements but whether this persists is unknown) and trams in Alexandria. The bulk of the system lies in the delta roughly bounded by Cairo, Alexandria and Port Said; beyond these rough bounds are routes along the northern coast to Mersa Matruh and up the Nile Valley all the way to High Dam south of Aswan some 900Km south of Cairo.
[[Category:Non-European Countries]]
 
Cairo termini; Cairo’s main terminus and indeed through station is Ramses, this would become familiar almost immediately to any traveller in Egypt but there are some complications, services operating on the route to Etay el Barud well north of Cairo initially set off south and sharing the Nile bridge then veer off at Imbaba and run along the west bank of the western branch of the Nile. The two platforms are well out of sight accessed from the west side of Ramses and are positioned south of the over bridge and it’s quite possible not to find your train and miss it if you don’t find these platforms exist! Cairo Furu’a terminus is very close to but separate from Ramses situated just to its north east, it is served by services to/from Minuf and most readily accessed by the subways part way down the platforms and walking up the side of the station; it enjoys a separate route from Shibra el Kheima about 5 km out most notably running around the carriage sidings away from Ramses. Opposite this and again close to Ramses is Limun station which was once apparently Italianate in style but now has a gloomy interior and an exterior like a bomb shelter. It takes traffic from Zaqazig and is accessed via a wholly different route from south of Shubra el-Kheima.  It can theoretically be accessed via a gate at the top end of Ramsess platform 1 but if they have locked this it’s a 5-10 minute walk around the block.
 
South of Cairo the 2004 timetable had trains serving a very obscure branch off the main Luxor route to 6th October once a day and from  Beni Suef to Lahun twice a day (once Fridays) however both attempts to find these trains and enquiries locally and back in Cairo all seem to indicate that services on these routes have ceased.  (Notably in 2020 a new High Speed project mentioned this as a traffic node on its projected north south route)

Latest revision as of 22:10, 17 February 2024

This page has been transferred to the Enthusiast's Guide to Travelling the Railways of the Rest of the World - see the relevant EGTROW page.

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