The railway will be repaired by 2023 at a cost of 200 billion pounds

The Egyptian Minister of Transport, Kamel Al-Wazir, revealed on Sunday that the railway development process will involve locomotive and waggon upgrading, at a cost of up to 200 billion pounds, and will be finished by 2023. The signalling system and control systems in all railway facilities have been updated by four of the leading worldwide businesses.

He explained that the signalling system on the Cairo-Alexandria and Port Said-Zagazig lines is expected to be completed by the end of this year, and that the cost of modernising the signal and control systems is 50 billion pounds, while the cost of modernising the railways will be another 50 billion pounds once the comprehensive reform is completed. The minister stated that by 2023, the system would avoid accidents without the need for human involvement.

The administration wants to reform the railways by modernising the infrastructure on a regular basis and focusing on safety. It also wants to explore unusual techniques to give more resources to carry out development goals. According to Kamel Al-Wazir, the state has ordered that antiquated buses be banned from using the rails by the end of this year. Either the year is renewed and developed, or it is completely replaced.

Egypt secured a contract in 2018 with Transmash Holding, a Russian business, to produce 1,300 train carriages for Egyptian railways. The agreement, at 1.16 billion euros, is the largest in Egypt's railway history. This purchase represents 40% of the total number of railway buses, indicating a surge in passenger train development.