98% of first stage of third metro line's fourth phase completed

CAIRO – 20 December 2018: Around 98 percent of the first stage of the third metro line's fourth phase from Haroun to Shams Club has been completed, Minister of Transportation Hisham Arafat announced on Wednesday.

During the Structural Engineering Conference, Arafat said that testing the operation of the line as well as the signalling and control systems is being carried out to assure safety of the line's operation.

The first stage of the phase runs from Haroun station to Heliopolis Square. 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 in 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 to Heliopolis cheaper, faster and more convenient.

Around 3.5 million Cairenes use the metro every day. 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 2 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.

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.