CAIRO | Metro

[rheintram]

The ticket gates look exactly the same like the ones used in Israel at railwaystations. I wonder if they are constructed by the same company.

[Chavito]

Great pictures from Line 1

[MASRI]

Cairo Metro

Locale: Cairo
Transit type: Rapid transit
Number of lines: 2 (3,4,5,6 Confirmed and U/C)
Number of stations: 53
Began operation: 1987

The Cairo Metro in Egypt is the only full-fledged metro system in Africa, and the Arab World. The system consists of two operational lines, with construction having begun on a third line in 2006.

The two lines carry around 700 million passengers a year and on average 2 million per day.

Cairo Metro Line 1 is the first line of the Cairo Metro in Cairo, Egypt. First stage of it was opened to the public in 1987 and it was fully completed in 1989 connecting Helwan with El Marg and consisting of 33 stations with a total length of 43 km, of which 4.5 km are underground.

Cairo Metro Line 2 is the second line of the Cairo Metro in Cairo, Egypt. Cairo's metro network was greatly expanded in the mid-1990s with the building of Line 2 (yellow), from Shoubra El Kheima to Cairo University, with an extension to Giza. It is the first line in history to have a tunnel going under the Nile.[11][18] The tunnel under the Nile is 8.35 m in internal diameter and was constructed using two Herenknecht bentonite slurry shield TBMs, which are 9.43 m in diameter.[11] Extending 21.5 kilometres (13 mi) with 20 stations, it is sometimes called the "Japanese-Built Line".

Lines 3-6 have been confirmed, and are under construction.

















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[MASRI]

Cairo’s Metro Line 3 Under Construction

The second phase of construction for Cairo’s Metro Line 3 officially got under way recently. The new line will help to increase the capacity of the Cairo Metro to some 4.5 million commuters when completed. The line will eventually extend from Imbaba to Heliopolis and will serve Cairo Airport. Currently the Cairo metro system serves 2.5 million daily commuters and is Africa’s only full-fledged metro system.

Phase one construction of the third line covered from Attaba to Abbassiya with three new stations at Al-Gaish, Abdo Basha and Al-Abbassiya. The second phase will include four new stations at Cairo Fairgrounds, the Stadium, Koliyat Al-Banat and Al-Ahram Street and should be completed in October of 2012. The new stations will have state-of-the-art security and technology with a contactless fare collection system and commercial outlets.

Much of the work is being completed in partnership with French transportation companies. Francoise Meley, the head of the French Embassy’s economic department in Cairo was at the inauguration of phase two work. “We are very proud to be the partner of Egypt in the development of the Cairo metro network, which is directly benefitting Cairo’s citizens, by making their everyday lives easier and also by reducing air pollution,” she said.

The master plan for Cairo’s metro system has a total of six lines serving the city’s densest areas. The six lines are planned to be complete by 2022.

[tampasteve]

Thanks for the pics! I would greatly love to visit Cairo someday and it is nice to see the metro system!

Steve

[dwdwone]

Has the light rail/tramway to Hekiopolis closed or is it stioll running? Will Line 3 replace the tramway? Last I read it was it very poor shape with no funding available for repairs.

[Abhishek901]

How long Cairo Metro will be after completion of all 6 lines.

[egypt69]

Originally Posted by dwdwone

Has the light rail/tramway to Hekiopolis closed or is it stioll running? Will Line 3 replace the tramway? Last I read it was it very poor shape with no funding available for repairs.

Yes its still running. Its seen its best days, and is pretty old, but its still running. I think I heard a rumour that they will either be upgraded or completely removed, not so sure though.

Originally Posted by Abhishek901

How long Cairo Metro will be after completion of all 6 lines.

Line 1 = 43 Km
Line 2 = 21.7 Km
Line 3 = 33 Km
Line 4 = 17 Km
Line 5 = 20 Km
Line 6 = 19 Km
Total = 143.7 Km

[Abhishek901]

Thanks . Cairo metro looks very busy when compared to its size. For a comparison, London Underground sees a little over 3 million people for 400 km of length.

[GENIUS LOCI]

I think it is busy because the city got 10+ mio inhabitants and is very dense

[simcard]

Cairo Metro looks great

[Bartje83]

All of Cairo is very busy compared to its size

[egypt69]

Indeed, Cairo never sleeps!!


The Cairo Metro is fast, clean, efficient, modern, and extremely cheap, only L.E. 1 a ticket, thats USD$0.18!! It is by far the fastest way to get around the city.

I cant wait for Line 3 to be up and running, becuase it connects the Airport to the rest of the network.

[mopc]

Great! We need more pics please!

Is there a suburban rail network in Cairo too or is the metro the only rail system in the city?

[egypt69]

Originally Posted by mopc

Great! We need more pics please!

Is there a suburban rail network in Cairo too or is the metro the only rail system in the city?

Well there is a really old tramway in the Heliopolis district of Cairo. There are plans to construct a monorail network in the New Cairo distirct. Apart from that, the only other suburban rail will be a Monorail connecting all 3 Terminals of Cairo International Airport.

Oh, and I'll try and find more pics

[xip]

do you have a map that includes all 6 lines?
gr8 pics....

[egypt69]

I tried looking for a map with all 6 lines, but the only one I can find is the one that shows three lines only, its in this thread.

Anyways, more pics:



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[egypt69]

Found an interesting article, and Project Profile for Phase 1 and Phase 2 of Cairo Metro Line 3.

Some of the info might have been mentioned before, but here is a recap, and some good extra info on the project:

Key Data:

Project: Construction of phase I and phase II of Line 3 of the Cairo Metro

Contractors: Consortium led by Vinci Construction Grand Projects

Contract Value of Civil Engineering Package: Phase I €226m, Phase II €323m

Number of Stations :Phase I five, Phase II five

Route Length :Phase I 4.3km, Phase II 7km

Completion Date :Phase I 2011, Phase II 2013

Tunnel Diameter :9.4m

Capacity: 1.8 million passengers per day

Cairo, the biggest city of Arab Africa has a population of approximately 17 million and is one of the most densely populated cities in Africa. The city is extensively connected by trains with other major cities. Operated by Egyptian National Railways (ENR), the railway system transports nearly 500 million passengers and 12 million tons of freight each year.

The project

Cairo Metro is the first metro network in Africa and is being extended with a third line being added to its existing route. Operational since the late 1990s, the network consists of two lines at present. The first, Line 1, was completed in 1987 and is 42.5km long with 33 stations. It covers the Egyptian capital from north to south.

Line 2, which was constructed in two phases (1997 and 2004 respectively) extends to 21km and serves 20 stations. It runs from north to south-west, covering the district of Shubra and the pyramids of Gizeh.

Construction of the new Line 3 began in 2007 to accommodate the ever-growing population of Cairo. The construction, to be carried out in four phases, is scheduled to be completed by the fourth quarter of 2013. On completion, the capacity of the line is estimated to be 1.8 million passengers per day. Line 3 will be 33km long with 29 stations, of which 27 will be underground.

The basic route of Line 3 will connect Cairo Airport in the east to Embaba and Mohandisseen in the west, crossing the downturn area and Heliopolis. The Mohandisseen area will be connected to the main line going to Embaba.

"Cairo's railway system transports nearly 500 million passengers and 12 million tons of freight each year."Line 3 will consist of only about 2.5km of track and two stations on grade before the terminal station of the Cairo Airport. A major part of the line will be underground. The cut and cover method is being adopted in the construction of the stations.

Infrastructure

The construction of phase I began in July 2007. Covering the central section, phase I will include the construction of a 4.3km tunnel, five underground stations and the creation of a repository for rolling stock. The five stations – Attaba, Bab el Shaaria, El Geish, Abdou Pasha and Abbasia – will be 150m long and will be located at a depth of 14m to 58m each. The tunnel will have a diameter of 9.4m.

Phase I is scheduled for completion in 2011, after 48 months of work, which will be followed by a three-month testing and implementation period.

The contract was awarded to a consortium led by Vinci Construction Grand Projects, a French construction company. Vinci Construction, which holds a 28.5% stake in the consortium, was given the civil engineering package of the contract in January 2007. Other parties in the consortium include Arab Contractors (27.5% stake), Bouygues (26%) and local company Orascom Construction Industries that has been awarded 18% of the contract.

About 60% of phase I was completed by 2009. About 8.3m of the tunnel's diameter has been completed. A tunnel boring machine (TBM) is being used to carry out the construction work. This TBM, named Cleopatra, is speedier than other machines and reduces pollution caused from sound and debris. The tunnel requires 2,800 rings, for which 22,400 voussoirs will be used. Each voussoir is 1.5m long and weighs 5.7t.

Phase II of Line 3 was announced in June 2009. It will extend the underground line eastwards from Abbasiya to Al Ahram (Heliopolis). It will comprise 7km of railway track, including 4km of underground tunnel. The line will connect five stations. Phase II is expected to be completed by October 2013, after 51 months of work.

"Construction of Line 3 began in 2007 to accommodate the ever-growing population of Cairo."Phase II comprises different packages for civil, electromechanical and railway works. The contract for civil engineering works has been awarded to Vinci for €323m. Orascom Construction has been awarded contracts worth $140m for civil, electromechanical and railway works.

Apart from that Orascom will also be responsible for construction work related to the railway tracks in a joint venture with Eurovia Travaux Ferroviaires (ETF) for a contract valued at approximately $24m. This package includes supplying and laying 14km of track and power rail in the tunnel.

Phase III will cover the western section of the underground line. The total length of the line will be 7.5km and estimated duration is three years. Phase IV will cover the eastern section of the line between Al Akram and Cairo International Airport. It will be 11km long and is expected to be completed in four years.

Rolling stock

The rolling stock for the line will be supplied by Mitsubishi. A third rail will be used to feed the rolling stock by power. Mitsubishi is supplying 460 rail road cars that transport two million passengers every day.

Signalling and communications

The signalling and telecommunications system will be provided by a consortium led by Alstom Equipment. The total value of the signalling and telecommunications contract is €29.8m.

Other parties in the consortium include the Thales Group and Orascom. For the stations, Alstom will provide URBALIS 200 integrated signalling and train-control information system. It will include a control system, switches and signalling equipment.

The Automatic Train Control and interlockings will be provided by Alstom Units in France, while the locally manufactured products, including the Automatic Train Supervision, will be provided by CASCO. CASCO will also overlook some of the integration work. ALSTOM Transport Service Shanghai will supply local services for the project

Future

By 2020, Cairo Metro is expected to carry five million passengers a day. By this time it is expected to add three more lines. Line 4 will be 24km long covering the southeast at Al Ahram to the east in Nasr city. Line 5 will be 20km connecting Nasr city to Port Said Street. It will be a half-circular line connecting to the other lines. Line 6 will extend from north south Shubra to Maadi, and will be 19km long.

http://www.railway-technology.com/projects/cairo-metro/

So Phase 1 and 2 of Line 3 should be completed by 2011 & 2013 respectively.

Also, saw this in the news today:

http://www.meed.com/sectors/transpor...005056.article


The bids for Phase 3 of the line will be invited in October.

[egypt69]

Courtesy of NihonKitty:



Mitsubishi, Kinki Sharyō, Toshiba receive rolling stock order for Cairo Metro
http://www.mitsubishicorp.com/jp/en/...000010933.html

Mitsubishi Corporation, together with The Kinki Sharyo Co., Ltd. and Toshiba Corporation, has contracted with The National Authority for Tunnels, Ministry of Transport (NAT) to supply 88 cars (11 train sets) for the Cairo Metro. These cars will be delivered from 2012 to 2013 under two separate contracts.

On August 17th, a contract signing ceremony was held in Cairo, attended by His Excellency Dr. Ahmet Mahmoud Mohamed Nazif, the Prime Minister of the Arab Republic of Egypt, His Excellency Eng. Alaa Fahmy, Minister of Transport, Her Excellency Dr. Fayza Aboulnaga, Minister of International Cooperation and distinguished guests.

The contracts cover seven train sets (56 cars) for Cairo Metro Line 3 Phase 2 which is under construction by NAT, and an additional four train sets (32 cars) for Line 2 which is currently operational. The order for the additional 11 train sets (88 cars) follows an order for seven sets (56 cars) for Line 3 Phase 1 in November 2007.

The contractual scheme has Mitsubishi Corporation acting as main contractor, with Kinki Sharyo in charge of manufacturing car body and bogies, and Toshiba supplying electrical equipment. The assembly work for Line 3 Phase 2 will be carried out by an Egyptian rolling stock manufacturer.

Cairo has an urgent need to enhance public transportation. Migration to urban areas has brought chronic traffic congestion. Cairo Metro Lines 1 and 2 are currently among the world’s busiest public transportation systems, conveying some 2.5 million citizens per day to their destinations. Additional rolling stock has been ordered for Line 2 in order to meet rapidly growing transportation needs. Once completed, Line 3 will connect the western part of Cairo city to Cairo International Airport.

Mitsubishi Corporation, Kinki Sharyo and Toshiba have a strong presence in the rolling stock market in Egypt. Combined, they have delivered more than 1,400 railway cars over the past 40 years. The team’s strong reputation for reliability and state-of-the-art technologies helped it to secure these new contracts. Future plans for the Cairo Metro include the additions of Lines 4, 5 and 6.

Through active participation in infrastructure projects like this one, Mitsubishi Corporation, Kinki Sharyo and Toshiba are committed to helping Egypt realize a low-carbon society and economic growth.

Trains for Line 3


Trains for Line 2


Cairo Metro map

[Martini87]

Very nice metro system! And the line 3 will transport 1,8 million passengers a day! That's more than the whole Barcelona metro!

It's interesting to notice that Line 1, more than 40 km long, is mainly at surface. Its only underground stretch is in downtown. I suppose these two lines were originally suburban lines converted to metro standard, giving it a "RER" feeling, or a London subsurface line. Its user density is very high due to its alignment following the Nile valley (let's not forget Cairo is a 'valley' city, surrounded by desert) and its sheer urban density. The chaotic traffic also helps to divert passengers to the rail system.

Anyway, I really enjoy these systems that happen to have a huge user density (usually with individual lines transporting more than a million people/day) and are very modern and efficient, such as Cairo, Santiago, São Paulo, Tehran, Caracas, Singapore, Hong Kong, Seoul, Tokyo, etc. The metro systems in eastern Europe (such as Prague, Kiev, Moscow, St Petersburg) are highly used as also, but are older as well.