Egypt's First High-Speed Railway Begins Construction in the Desert, Spanning the Red Sea and the Mediterranean
AFP, Cairo, 23rd. Egypt's first high-speed railway has begun construction, with workers laying tracks in the desert east of Cairo. This railway will connect the Red Sea and the Mediterranean, marking the latest initiative for Egypt's transportation modernization. Egyptian Transport Minister Kamel al-Wazir hailed the project as the "railway version of the new Suez Canal," which is expected to be completed by 2026. At that time, it will transport passengers and cargo over a distance of 660 kilometers in as little as 3 hours.
The railway, known as "The Green Line," is the latest project in a series of large-scale developments promoted by President Sisi's government over the past 10 years. Among these plans, the most notable is the new administrative capital being built east of Cairo, which has cost 58 billion US dollars, although the city remains largely uninhabited so far. In 2021, Egypt signed a 4.5 billion US dollar contract with a consortium including German company Siemens to build the "Green Line" railway. This route will be the first of three high-speed railways spanning the entire country. Authorities hope that this railway network, which is nearly 2,000 kilometers long, will be able to transport about 1.5 million passengers daily. According to official data, although Egypt's existing railway network is used by hundreds of thousands of people every day, it has suffered from poor infrastructure and maintenance, leading to nearly 200 accidents last year.
"The Green Line" will cross northern Egypt, stretching from Ain Sokhna on the Red Sea coast to Marsa Matrouh on the Mediterranean coast, passing through two satellite cities of Cairo: the new administrative capital to the east, and the 6th of October City to the west, which is home to Egypt's only inland port.
Original article: toutiao.com/article/1852361252807817/
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