His Excellency President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, President of the Republic, inaugurates the East Nile Monorail Project 20/03/2026 | 10:19 PM
Coinciding with the Egyptian people's celebration of Eid al-Fitr, and on a significant day for the transportation sector in Egypt,
His Excellency President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi inaugurates the East Nile Monorail Project
Coinciding with the Egyptian people's celebration of Eid al-Fitr, and on a significant day for the transportation sector in Egypt, and signaling the upcoming operation of the project for the public, His Excellency President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi inaugurated the East Nile Monorail Project today. The project extends from Cairo Stadium Station in Nasr City to the Control and Command Center in the New Administrative Capital, covering a distance of 56.5 km. His Excellency the President, along with a number of families of martyrs, also rode the monorail train from Al-Fattah Al-Aleem Mosque Station to the Financial and Business District Station, passing through stations R1 and R2 in the New Administrative Capital.
During the inauguration ceremony, Lieutenant General Engineer Kamel El-Wazir, Minister of Transport, on behalf of himself and all employees of the Ministry of Transport, extended his congratulations to His Excellency President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, the Egyptian people, and all the families of the martyrs on the occasion of Eid al-Fitr, emphasizing that this project was implemented In line with presidential directives to expand the establishment of a network of sustainable, environmentally friendly green mass transit, this project aims to develop the urban transport system by providing a fast, safe, and sustainable means of transportation to improve mobility in Greater Cairo and its surrounding areas, and to connect Nasr City, New Cairo, and the New Administrative Capital.
He pointed out that the monorail project, implemented for the first time in Egypt, represents a major leap forward in mass transit, characterized by its speed, modernity, and safety. It also saves fuel, reduces environmental pollution, alleviates traffic congestion on main roads and streets, and attracts passengers to use it instead of private cars. Powered by electricity (environmentally friendly), the monorail boasts a 30% lower energy consumption rate than electric rail traction methods, in addition to reduced noise due to the trains running on rubber wheels. Furthermore, the monorail is implemented in areas where metro lines and other rail transport are difficult to construct, and it can be implemented on streets with significant horizontal curves without requiring extensive modifications. In the facilities, expropriation work is greatly reduced. The monorail is distinguished by its construction on an elevated track within the median strip of the streets it traverses, thus not occupying any part of the street itself, which means no disruption to traffic flow.
He added that the monorail trains are driverless, with a headway of 3 minutes, planned to increase to 90 seconds with increased demand. The journey time from Cairo Stadium to the New Administrative Capital is approximately 70 minutes. Furthermore, for the first time, screen doors have been installed on the platforms in front of the train doors to ensure passenger safety. Safe passageways allow passengers to move between carriages for greater comfort. Inside the carriages, LED screens are available to provide passengers with journey information or can be used commercially for paid advertisements. Above the side doors, a screen displays the name of the final station. Designated spaces for wheelchairs have been provided for people with disabilities, equipped with securing devices. Maps are also installed above the passenger doors inside the carriages, displaying the route via illuminated lights to assist passengers. The project, which has benefited the hearing impaired, has contributed to creating 15,000 direct job opportunities in the design and implementation of civil and electromechanical works, and approximately 10,000 indirect job opportunities in related industries and services.
(The following appears to be a separate, unrelated statement: "People with hearing impairments.") He added that the East Nile Monorail integrates with Metro Line 3 at Cairo Stadium Station in Nasr City, with the Light Rail Transit (LRT) at the Arts and Culture City Station in the New Administrative Capital, and in the future with Phase 2 of Metro Line 4 at Hisham Barakat Station in Nasr City, and with Metro Line 6 at El Narges Station in New Cairo.
The project also serves Cairo Stadium, Al-Azhar University and its visitors in Nasr City, as well as numerous schools, universities, and mosques such as (Al-Mushir Tantawi, Al-Fattah Al-Aleem, and Misr). It also serves hospitals (Dar Al-Fouad and the Air Force Specialized Hospital), major commercial centers and malls, the financial and business district, the government district in the New Administrative Capital, and many new residential compounds and clubs. He explained that the project includes 40 trains with an operating speed of 80 km/h, each consisting of four carriages to accommodate the urban expansion of the New Administrative Capital and the increasing number of daily commuters.
It is worth noting that the total length of the East/West Nile Monorail projects is 100 km. The monorail system comprises 35 stations, including 22 stations in the East Nile project, implemented by an Egyptian-French consortium (Orascom, Arab Contractors, and Alstom).
Each station covers approximately 2,500 square meters, measuring 100 meters in length and 25 meters in width. It consists of two levels (ticket hall and platform), except for the Cairo Stadium and Al-Azhar University stations, which include two ticket halls to alleviate congestion, as per transportation studies. The stations also feature two escalators, four moving escalators, and two elevators outside each station, and four escalators, four moving escalators, and two elevators inside. Designated pathways for people with disabilities have been implemented in the ticket halls and on the platforms. The project also includes a control center within the New Administrative Capital, covering 85 acres and comprising 13 buildings.
Upon completion, the project will have a transport capacity of 500,000 passengers per day. The Ministry of Transport has granted commercial rights to the names of some stations to private sector companies to increase economic returns.