Metro's 3rd line from Haroun to Shams Club to be operate in Oct.

CAIRO – 28 August 2018: The trial operation of the underground stations, implemented as part of the fourth phase of the metro's third line from Haron Station to Nadi El-Shams, will begin in October, according to the National Authority for Tunnels (NAT) Chairman Tareq Gamal el-Din.

Gamal el-Din said that the third line’s Nozha station was transformed to an aboveground station after petroleum materials had been found in the soil.

The first station of the phase runs from Haroun station to Heliopolis Square. According to Gamal el-Din, the fourth phase is set to be inaugurated in July 2019, after which commuters will be able to use it to reach Cairo International Airport. It comprises 10 stations with a total length of 15.8 km.

Commuters used to stop at Attaba station of the second line and then take another means of transportation, like microbuses, to go to Heliopolis. The air-conditioned metro cars of the third line, running from Attaba to Korba, are believed to have made the ride experience to Heliopolis cheaper, faster and more convenient.

Around 3.5 million Cairenes use the metro every day, switching between stations to reach their destinations while paying an affordable ticket. Launched in 1987, the metro has since become the most important means of transportation, helping passengers to avoid getting stuck in Cairo's traffic or having to negotiate fares with unmetered taxis.

Female commuters can either choose to take the non-segregated cars or use the women-only carriages.

The third line with its four phases will save nearly two million daily commutes above the ground, reducing Cairo’s traffic congestion, shortening the duration of commutes and saving LE 250 million ($14.2 million) in the cost of public transportation buses. The project will save up to LE 2.72 billion a year overall, according to NAT’s official website.

The third phase of the third metro line will connect the working-class districts of Attaba, Bulaq and Imbaba with Cairo University in Giza. The phase will also pass through well-off neighborhoods like Zamalek, Mohandiseen and Agouza. The construction work on the 18-kilometer phase officially started in 2017; it includes 15 stops, including Zamalek.

In late May, the Ministry of Transportation increased the price of metro tickets for the second time in less than a year.

Drawing over 3.5 million of Greater Cairo's 21 million residents daily, the metro is the cheapest and fastest mode of intra-urban transportation, according to estimates by the country's National Authority for Tunnels.

As per the ministry’s decision, commuters are now charged a base fare of LE 3 ($ 0.16) for the first nine stops and an additional LE 2 (total LE 5) for seven more stations. The highest ticket price has been fixed at LE 7 if the commuter travels more than 16 stations.