Alexandria railway to partially halt operation to implement first metro phase

CAIRO – 4 January 2024: Parts of the Alexandria railway system will halt operation gradually starting Friday to implement the first phase of the Alexandria Metro project.

In a statement on Wednesday, the Ministry of Transport said it is coordinating with relevant authorities in Alexandria to provide alternative transportation means during the implementation of the project.

The Alexandria governorate will inform citizens about the alternative transportation means later, the ministry said.

According to the ministry, the railway sector between Misr Station and Sidi Gaber Station will halt operation starting Friday, marking the start of the first phase of implementing the Alexandria metro project.

Operation will also be halted from Abu Qir to Montaza districts and from Sidi Gaber to Montaza starting 1 February and 1 March, respectively.

The proposed Alexandria Metro project is set to link districts of Egypt’s second largest governorate, becoming the second metro system after the metro in Greater Cairo.

This project extends along 21.7 km and includes 20 stations to link downtown Alexandria with Abu Qir, acting as the first such transportation system in Alexandria.

Orascom Construction PLC announced last September that its consortium with Colas Rail, international leader in railway infrastructure, has signed an engineering, procurement and construction contract with the National Authority for Tunnels (NAT) to construct the project.

The value of the contract totals around 1.3 billion euros, Orascom said in a statement.

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), the European Investment Bank (EIB), L’Agence française de développement (AFD), and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) are financing the project.

In November, France’s Thales Group announced signing a contract with the Colas Rail/Orascom joint venture to provide modern public transportation system for the Alexandria Metro project.