Egypt to build railway connecting ports of Nuweiba and East Port Said

CAIRO – 7 April 2018: The Transport Ministry is planning the construction of a railway that connects the port of Nuweiba in Sinai with East Port Said port, advisor to the Transport Ministry Mostafa al-Deeb said Saturday.

The new line will be used primarily for the transport of goods between the two ports and will serve exports to Gulf countries through the Aqaba-Nuweiba shipping line.

Al-Deeb said that the new railway will boost development in Nuweiba city, as well as neighboring cities, as it will allow Nuweiba to become a gate for exports to Gulf countries.

He said that the new line will alleviate traffic pressure on roads, adding that advanced technology will be used to operate the railway that will help reduce time and cost of transporting goods.

The railway is planned to travel at a 120 kilometers per hour, Al-Deeb said.

He added that the ministry is currently studying the establishment of a multi-purpose station for cargo and container activities in Nuweiba port that will span over 140,000 square meters.

The station is aimed to complement the planned logistics area and free zone in Nuweiba city. Al-Deeb said that construction of the station is expected to take place in six-month time.

He added that the ministry is planning for another railway line to connect Damietta port with Alexandra port.

South Sinai governor Khaled Fouda announced last month that the government agreed on setting up a free zone in Nuweiba. The free zone will be the first to be established in Egypt since 2005.

Spanning over one million square meters, the new zone will be executed over two years and will provide 14,000 jobs and benefit the $500 billion mega city of Neom.