Cairo Metro

The Cairo Metro in Egypt is Africa’s only full-fledged metro system. The system currently consists of two operational lines, with a third in an advanced stage of planning.

The metro is run by the National Authority for Tunnels. The line uses standard gauge (1435 mm). Ticket price is EGP 0.75 for each ride (as of January 2005, EUR 0.10 or USD 0.13), regardless of distance. On all Cairo metros, the first car of each train is reserved for women.

Line 1(Helwan - El-Marg )

Line One (the red line) opened in 1987 after the joining of two existing above-ground lines with a large underground section through the city center. (Because of this, it is sometimes referred to as the “Regional Line".) The line runs a total of 43.5 km (27 miles) with 3 km (1.8 miles) underground, serves 33 stations, and has a 60,000 hourly passenger capacity per direction. Sometimes known as the “French-Built Line", this metro runs from the industrial Helwan area in the south to El-Marg northword. It is mostly above ground, with the downtown section below ground.

This line occurred on three stages:
First: (Helwan / Ramsis field): with length of 29 km, opened in 1987.
2nd: (Ramsis field / El-Marg ):with length of 14 km,opened in 1989.
3rd: Continuation of Line 1:with length of 1.3 km, opened in 1999.

Line 2 (Shobra - El Mounib)

Cairo’s metro network was greatly expanded in the mid-1990s with the building of Line Two (yellow), from Shoubra to Cairo University. Extending 19 km (11.8 miles) with 18 stations, it is sometimes called the “Japanese-Built Line” and includes the first underground crossing of the Nile. Line Two, which opened in four stages starting in October 1996 and finishing in 2000, has also been extended to Giza. It is mostly in bored tunnel, with two exceptions: a short section at the northern end approaching Shubra El-Kheima, which is elevated, and a section just south of this by cut-and-cover. The main difference between Line 1 and two is that Line 1 is overhead line while Line No.2 is Third-rail system.

This line occurred in four stages:
First: (Shobra / Ramsis field): with length of 8 km,opened in 1996.
2nd: (Ramsis field / Al-tahrer): with length of 3 km,opened in 1997.
3rd: (Al-tahrer / Cairo University in Bolak): of 5.5 km , opened 1999.
4th: (Cairo University / Al-omraniya in Giza): of 2.7 km, opened 2000.

Plans

Four more lines are proposed - all with the goal of reducing Cairo’s chronic road congestion - with Line Three (green) from Imbaba to al-Hazar, and eventually to Cairo International Airport at Heliopolis. Line Four is expected to go from the southwest at Al Ahram to the east at Nasr City; Line Five is planned as a half-circular line connecting all the other lines, from Nasr City to Port Said Street and Shubra El Kheima; and Line 6 is to be a north-south line from Shubra to Maadi.