Eng. Kamel El Wazir - Minister of Transport, accompanied by Major Gen. Sherif Leil – Chairman of the National Authority for Tunnels, Eng. Sayed Farouk – CEO & Chairman of the Arab Contractors Company, and Eng. Ibrahim Mabrouk – Board Member toured the LRT project, which had previously opened the giant station Adly Mansour and the two phases of it on 3/7/2022. The tour started from the giant Adly Mansour Central Interchange Station, which received the award for the besFt transport project in the world for the year 2022 according to the international "ENR" magazine, which is a unique engineering work of its kind, as it was built on an area of 15 feddans and contains 5 different means of transportation (the final station of CML3, LRT station, Suez railway station, Super Jet bus station, and the BRT). The Minister inspected the station’s mall, consisting of 2 floors and a basement used as a garage with an area of 16,000 m2.
The Minister followed up on the regularity of the operating schedule of the LRT, raising the degree of readiness to receive the new school year, keeping pace with the preparations of the various ministries to move to the new administrative capital, and the continuation of issuing subscriptions reduced by 50% for all LRT users, and reducing the value of tickets by 30–40% for them until moving to the new administrative capital, as well as the continuation of the provision of the internal and international land transport system of the Transport Ministry to the transportation service in minibuses (natural gas) bearing the logo of the LRT to facilitate the movement of citizens from the cities of east Cairo to the stations of the LRT and vice versa, which started operating on Saturday 9/17/2022, the service will be provided free of charge in minibuses for a period of 2 weeks for citizens, provided that the prescribed tariff for transportation in minibuses will be applied after this period.
The Minister took one of the trains from Adly Mansour station to the Arts and Culture station in the New Administrative Capital, then he followed up the implementation rates of the extension of the LRT 3rd and 4th phases, where he inspected the sectors of the 3rd phase, which extends for 20.4 km from the City of Arts and Culture station in the Administrative Capital (which was inaugurated as part of the 1st and 2nd phases) to the Capital Central Interchange Station with the High Speed Rail with 4 stations, which is being implemented by Egyptian contractors under the leadership of the Chinese Creek-AVIC JV. The Minister was briefed on the implementation rates, where the pile works, concrete bases, and columns for the Nativity Cathedral station (elevated station) were completed, and the foundation works for the Strategic Command station (at-grade station) were completed, and construction works (piles - columns - beams) are currently being implemented. The track’s bridges, as well as soil investigation works for the depot at the end of the track, will be carried out on an area of 62 feddans approx.
The Minister of Transport was also briefed on the progress of the 4th phase of the LRT in the 10th Ramadan City, which is being implemented in accordance with the directives of the political leadership to serve the population mass in the city. He followed up on the site mobilisation for the phase, which spans 16 km and 3 stations from the end of phase 1 at New Obour Station to the heart of 10th Ramadan City.
Eng. Kamel El Wazir - Minister of Transport, directed the need to work around the clock and exert the best effort to accomplish the project according to the time schedule, as this project with its 4 phases, is one of the mass transportation that will serve the new republic whose rules were laid by President Abdel Fattah El Sisi.
The Minister of Transport pointed out that the LRT project contributes to linking the Administrative Capital with Greater Cairo Region through a sustainable, safe, and effective green mass transportation network that directly contributes to the agenda of confronting the effects of climate change. Besides, it links Greater Cairo Region with the new cities east of Cairo, facilitating the movement of employees, reducing travel times for passengers, and reducing fuel consumption as it depends on clean electric energy.
It is worth mentioning that the LRT project is 105 km long and has 19 stations, and the first and second phases were opened on 3/7/2022. The route starts from Adly Mansour central interchange station, parallel to Cairo-Ismailia desert road; it branches north after Badr until 10th Ramadan City and south to the New Administrative Capital; then it extends to the International Sports City.
LRT interchanges service with Metro Line 3 at Adly Mansour Central Station, the East Nile Monorail (the Administrative Capital at the City of Arts and Culture station) and the first line of the High-Speed Rail at the Capital's Central Station.
The Minister continued his inspection tour to follow up on the implementation rates of the East Nile Monorail project (New Administrative Capital), which extends from the Stadium station at Nasr City to the Justice City station in the Administrative Capital, with a length of 56.5 km, and includes 22 stations and is implemented through a joint venture between (Alstom - Orascom – Arab Contractors).
The Minister inspected a number of the project sectors starting from the Administrative Capital sector. He followed up the implementation of columns and piling works along the track. He directed that everything in the project implementation sectors must be returned to its origin in all ways.He also reviewed the implementation rate of the civil and electromechanical works and supply rate of mobile units, as 10 trains arrived, the last of which was on 13/9/2022 out of a total of 40 trains that will be supplied to the East Nile Monorail project (New Administrative Capital). The manufacturing of the rest of the project’s mobile units fleet will be completed as it will arrive successively according to the specified schedule.
At the end of his tour, the minister stressed the completion of all the construction works of the Monorail project within the Capital and the construction of the LRT from the Arts and Culture station to the Cathedral station before the end of October 2022.