Egypt has started the construction of a high-speed train line, 660 kilometers long through the desert, to connect the Red Sea with the Mediterranean Sea, in a project that authorities say will alleviate the pressure on the capital Cairo and support urban expansion in a country mostly covered by desert.
For the first time, the train will transport passengers and goods between the north and east coasts of Egypt at speeds of up to 230 kilometers per hour, which the Minister of Transport, Kamel el-Wazir, described as "a new Suez Canal on tracks".
The project is the latest in a series of major urban projects launched by President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi in recent years, including the new administrative capital located 50 kilometers east of Cairo, which cost about $58 billion.
In 2021, Egypt signed a contract worth 3.75 billion euros with a consortium of companies including the German group Siemens, to implement the train line that extends in the north of the country from Ain Sokhna on the Red Sea east to Marsa Matrouh on the Mediterranean west, passing through the new administrative capital and the city of 6th of October, which houses Egypt's only dry port.
The train is expected to transport about 15 million tons of goods annually, which is equivalent to 3% of the volume of goods that passed through the Suez Canal in 2024, according to Tarek Goueily, president of the National Authority for Tunnels.
The project's officials present the train as a strategic pillar for urban development in a country where the desert covers about 95% of its territory.
Faisal Shaaban, CEO of Systra in Egypt responsible for railway construction, says the high-speed transport line "will relieve pressure on Greater Cairo and will contribute to the emergence of new growth centers supported by an integrated infrastructure".
In the new administrative capital, the features of one of the train's 21 stations are starting to appear, with 6 open railway tracks linked by stairs, while signs pointing to shopping centers and residential areas spread around the site, in an effort to attract residents to the city that was inaugurated in 2024.
