Within the framework of implementing the directives of President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, President of the Republic, to expand the establishment of a network of green, sustainable, and environmentally friendly mass transportation, Lieutenant General Engineer Kamel Al Wazir – Minister of Transport, inspected the work sites of the first line project of the High-Speed Rail network (Ain Soukhna/ El Alamein / Matrouh) And that is in the distance from the southern Helwan area at the track bridge to cross the Nile until Ain Soukhna station.
The tour began with the minister inspecting the construction works of a bridge south of Helwan on the Nile from El-Tabin Road (an extension of the Nile Corniche) to Cairo-Aswan Agricultural Road, with a length of 9,100 km. Then the minister inspected Cairo station in Helwan, which serves the city of Helwan, 15th of May and the entire region south of Cairo. The minister followed up on the implementation and finishing of the station and the plan for the movement of passengers from the main entrance until reaching the ticket halls and movement between the platforms and the availability of elevators to facilitate the movement of passengers, as well as the plan for the optimal administrative and investment utilization of all spaces in the station. The minister was received by Eng. Hossam El Din El Rifi – Board Member of the Arab Contractors; Eng. Sayed El Wazir - Board Member of the Arab Contractors; and Eng. Hassan Ibraheem – Member of the Executive Board of the Arab Contractors Company.
The minister also followed the final finishes of Mohamed Naguib station, which serves the areas of Katameya, New Cairo, and the new urban areas located south of Ain Soukhna Road, as well as the finishes of the Capital Station, which is an interchange station with the light electric train (LRT) and is considered a center for various means of transportation coming to the Administrative Capital, which is one of the largest stations in the Middle East in parking areas and commercial areas. The minister was briefed on the readiness of the technical rooms that were delivered to Siemens International according to international technical specifications in order to mobilize it with equipment and devices for operation.
Besides, he follows up on the progress of the implementation of Ain Soukhna station, which will serve Ain Soukhna area, whether the tourist areas on the Red Sea or the industrial areas. It is a final station for the line, and the completion rate was reviewed, as was the progress of the sidewalks and the track bridge at the station, in addition to following up on the track link from Ain Soukhna station to Ain Sokhna Port to serve the transportation of goods to and from Soukhna Port through this network.
The Minister also inspected the construction and implementation of the workshops and maintenance point located south of the central station of the high-speed electric train. The Minister of Transport stressed the intensification of the work, especially since the workshop will receive the first regional train for the first line of the High-Speed Rail network in the second half of next month, with the rest of the trains arriving in succession according to the planned schedule, as the first line of the network includes (15 express trains, 34 regional trains, and 14 goods tractors).
During the tour, the Minister of Transport followed up on the implementation rates of the train bridge and the construction of a number of industrial works, such as the Khor May bridges, Autostrad, Wadi Hajoul, the quarries, and 30 June, as well as tunnels and protection works from the dangers of floods, as the JV of (Siemens / Orascom / Arab Contractors) was handed over 50 km within the scope of the Capital station, in the distance from km 40 to km 90, and the work of the second phase has begun, which includes (basalt brushing, installation of rails, and electrical catenary poles).
In press statements during the tour, the Minister of Transport stressed the importance of the High-Speed Rail network, as it will contribute into creating a logistical axis linking the Red Sea and the Mediterranean Sea that the Chinese company Hutchison called it (Soukhna-Dekheila) logistical axis, and some experts called it a new Suez Canal on the rails, in addition to link industrial areas (production areas) with sea ports (export centers) and to link modern agricultural development areas (New Delta - West Minya - Toshka - Mostaqbal Misr -...) with the consumption areas and export ports, in addition to connecting tourist areas to allow the diversity of tourism programs for tourists in one trip. The High-Speed Rail network will also contribute to achieving integration with airports, sea ports, and land roads to achieve the concept of multimodal transport. It will also contribute to linking sea ports, dry ports, logistical centers, serving the goals of sustainable urban development, redistributing the population, and creating new development hubs, in addition to linking the raw material production areas and quarries (Abu Tartur - Qena - Aswan) with export ports.
The Minister pointed out that the High-Speed Rail network contributes into reducing environmental pollution resulting from the operation of diesel tractors, as one diesel tractor produces about 2 million tons of carbon emissions annually, pointing out the limited capacity of the current network (diesel) to transport 2 million passengers daily and 13 million tons of goods per year in 2030 and its inability to accommodate more than that, which necessitated the establishment of a High-Speed Rail network that will contribute to railway connectivity with neighboring countries (with Sudan from Abu Simbel to Wadi Halfa - with Libya from Matrouh / Salloum to Benghazi) as well as creating thousands of job opportunities for youth.
It is worth noting that the High-Speed Rail network being implemented consists of 3 lines with a total length of 2000 km. The length of the first line of the network (Soukhna/Alamein/Matrouh) is 675 km and includes (21) stations and (1) control and monitoring center.