Min. of Transport studies establishing railway line extending to Sudan

CAIRO – 11 February 2019: “The Ministry of Transportation studied with several consultants establishing a railway line of 600 km in length linking Egypt to Sudan to increase trade movement between the two countries,” Minister of Transportation Hisham Arafat stated.

This came during the minister's tour in the high dam in Aswan with his Sudanese counterpart Hatim Al Sir Ali on Monday, Feb. 11. “This decision came upon President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi's directions,” Arafat clarified.

The High Dam station is expected to become an important logistic area, as it could greatly contribute to strengthening trade exchange and cargo transport between Egypt and Sudan, Arafat said.

The minister also revealed that the railway sector will not be privatized, rather shared with the private sector.

Arafat pointed out that the private sector companies play an important role in the movement of products and the management of logistic areas such as the high dam station.

President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi and his Sudanese counterpart al-Bashir attach importance not only to achieving a railway linkage between the two nations but also among other African countries, especially after Egypt took over the presidency of the African Union, Arafat told Extra News channel on Monday. The two sides discussed the possibility of transporting Sudan's exports to Egypt by river then by railway lines and vice versa.

The Egyptian Railways Authority is implementing a development plan, improving and maintaining 156 railway stations for a total cost of LE1 billion, spokesman of the Transport Ministry Mohamed Ezz said in August 2018. He explained that this comes as part of the ministry’s plan to improve public services.

In September 2018, President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi affirmed Egypt’s belief in the role of the private sector, clarifying his country's intention to continue the economic reforms program which will facilitate the work of the private sector and enhance its role in all fields. This came during Sisi’s participation in the working dinner organized by the Business Council for International Understanding.

Additional Report with MENA