More support for private sector to improve railway system

CAIRO – 16 August 2017: Assistant Secretary General of ‘Support Egypt’ coalition, Mohamed Ali Youssef, voiced his support to Minister of Transportation, Hisham Arafat’s previous suggestion of incorporating the private sector into the railroad system.

Arafat’s suggestion, made on ‘Akher Al-Nahar’ show, came in the wake of the Friday accident that killed an estimated 42 and injured over 170 people.

“We need legislation to allow the private sector to enter the railway system,” Arafat said. He explained that the railroad system needs a large amount of funding to be properly improved; 1 kilometer of railroad would take LE 21 million ($1.1 million) and renovating the entire railroad system would take LE 45 billion. He also stressed on the importance of better trained labor.

He added that the railroad infrastructure used today was the same one used in 1935, despite the population growing up to 7 times the size, and the use of tractors that are 35 years old.

Arafat is scheduled for a meeting with ‘Support Egypt’ coalition, the parliament majority coalition, on Wednesday. Parliamentarian Hossam al-Omda expressed said that he will demand real numbers and figures that express the current state of the railroad system.

In a meeting on Monday under the chairmanship of Major General Saed Taema, attended by Arafat, the latter stated that the over reliance on the human factor is the main factor behind accidents.