Over the past couple of years, the Egyptian Government has been focusing on revamping the transportation system in Cairo and other parts of the country. This includes the construction of new roads, maintenance of highways, and introduction of brand-new transportation systems. Now let’s take a look at our main event – Egypt’s monorail.
Since the idea of the new monorail was proposed, it got everyone’s attention. This is due to the humongous amount of advantages that will affect the lives of every Egyptian citizen.
Egypt’s Monorail
In 2019, Egypt’s monorail turned from a dream into a reality, when the National Authority for Tunnels in partnership with 3 major construction companies started putting concrete plans for construction.
Fast forward to 2023 and construction is underway. You probably have a lot of questions regarding Egypt’s new monorail, don’t worry we have you covered! In the next part, we will present you with everything you need to know about the new monorail and how it will affect your life.
1. Why is Egypt building the monorail?
The project’s main objective is to increase the connectivity between Cairo and new cities (6 October and New Capital). The monorail will also help in decreasing traffic congestion and all related problems.
In simpler terms, Egypt is building the monorail to help citizens have easier and shorter commutes.
2. What are the stations of the monorail’s 1st line (New Capital City)?
The monorail has 2 lines; the New Capital line and the 6 October line. First, the New Administrative Capital line rolls for 54 km and links the metro station “stadium” with the New Capital. To be more precise, the monorail New Capital line has 21 stations, which are:
- Stadium
- Hisham Barakat
- Nouri Khattab
- The seventh District
- Free Zone
- Marshal Tantawy
- Cairo Festival
- El Choueifat
- Air Hospital
- Al Narges District
- Mohammed Naguib
- American University
- Emaar
- Nafoura Square
- Al Barwa
- Middle Ring Road
- Mohammed Bin Zayed
- Regional Ring Road
- Almasa Hotel
- Ministries District
- Administrative Capital
3. What are the stations of the monorail’s 2nd line (6th October)?
On the other hand, the 2nd line of the monorail (the 6th October city line) is 42 km long and has 12 stations, which are:
- Boulak (Gameat El Dewal)
- Ring Road
- El Marioutia
- El Mansouria
- Desert Road
- Hyperone
- Juhayna
- Authority of Urban Communities
- El Hosary
- Dar El Fouad
- Industrial Zone
- High-Speed Railway
4. How are the 2 lines of the monorail connected?
Did you know that using the two lines you can easily travel from the New Capital to 6 October?
All you got to do is head to the nearest station of the monorail ride till the end of the line, so
- If you rode from a New Capital station then the end is the “Stadium”, you can then take the 3rd line of the metro to the “Boulak” station and ride the 6th of October monorail.
- Whereas if you rode from a 6 October station then the end is “Boulak”, you can then take the 3rd line of the metro to the “Stadium” metro station and ride the New Capital monorail.
5. When will the monorail open in Egypt?
According to the primary plans, the New Capital monorail will start operating after 34 months starting from August 2019. On the other hand, the 6 October monorail line will start operating after 42 months starting from January 2020.
Also, the second phase of the New Capital monorail is planned to be completed by 2024.
6. Who is building the monorail in Egypt?
Under the supervision of the National Authority for Tunnels, there are 3 major construction companies working on Egypt’s monorail;
- Bombardier Transportation
- The Arab Contractors
- Orascom Construction
7. How fast is the Egyptian monorail?
The new monorail will run at a speed of 80 km/hr. This means that both lines will be able to transport up to 45000 people/hour!
Final Thoughts
All in all Egypt’s new monorail will positively affect every citizen’s life, thanks to it helping shorten commute times. And it will also help people park their cars and forget the hassle of rush hours and being stuck driving all day!
The price of tickets is yet to be determined but they are expected to be quite affordable for every Egyptian household.
With the new monorail connecting the east and west of Cairo together, commuting anywhere has never been easier.