Egypt’s Government Sets High Speed Railway As “High Priority”

The Minister of Transport of the interim government, Ibrahim El-Demeiry, has said that the government wants a high speed railway network to connect five provinces between the north coast to the country’s far south.

A high speed railway network has been on the stocks for many years but has been shelved for many years, in part due to political change in the country. It has been prioritised due to the idea that it will attract investment to the country and boost tourism.

It is hoped that the railway will connect Alexandria with Giza, Assiut, Luxor and Aswan at speeds of up to 350km/h. The plans have attracted interest from a number of organisations within Egypt, including business, the army, and banks. There is even talk of allowing the general public to invest through shares on the stock exchange. Returns on investment from the railway are expected to be good.

The Ministry for Transport has almost completed technical and economic studies for the EGP 70bn project and the first section is expected to be operational in 2017.