The minister followed up on the final finishes of the Mohamed Naguib station, as well as the platforms and ticket halls that serve the areas of Katameya, New Cairo, and the new urban areas south of the Ain Sokhna Road. The roads connecting the station to the Middle Ring Road and the Mohamed Naguib axis were also inspected, as well as the procedures implemented by the General Authority for Roads and Bridges to facilitate the station's connection to the main roads adjacent to it, in order to ease the movement of entry and exit to it.
He then inspected the Cairo station which serves the city of
Helwan, the city of 15th of May, and all areas of southern Cairo. The final
finishes of the Giza interchange station with the Cairo-Aswan railway line, as
well as the final finishes of the Hadayek October station, which is considered
an interchange station between the first and second lines of the high-speed
train network, were also inspected.
The October station, through which passenger transport service
is exchanged with the West Nile Monorail, was also reviewed. He also checked the
status of the finishes of the remaining stations and the optimal administrative
and investment utilization plan for all their spaces, where he directed that
all works be implemented according to the latest international specifications.
During his tour, the Minister examined the main workshop for
the maintenance and overhauling of rolling stock operating on the first and
second lines, spanning an area of 578 acres. This workshop includes 39
buildings (21 buildings currently under construction + 18 reserve areas for
future expansions), including a heavy overhaul workshop building, as well as inspection
and sorting workshops, train waiting areas, and more.
The Minister followed up on the progress rates in the
implementation of several industrial works along this route, such as the
(Autostrad - South Helwan over the Nile from Al-Tabin Road (extension of the
Nile Corniche) to the Cairo/Aswan Agricultural Road - Sumed) bridges.
The report on the number of completed bridges was also
reviewed, and the Minister directed the intensification of work on the bridges
under construction and their implementation according to high-quality standards
for speedy completion.
Furthermore, the track sections that have been handed over
to the (Siemens/Orascom/Arab Contractors) alliance for the implementation of
ballast laying, rail installation, and electrical catenary pole installation
were reviewed, after which electromechanical works will be carried out. The
rate of train supply was also reviewed, with the first Desiro train,
manufactured in Siemens' German factories, having arrived in Egypt several
months ago.
It is worth mentioning that the high-speed rail network consists of 3 lines with a total length of 2000 km and 60 stations, in addition to 2 main workshops and 5 maintenance points. The fleet of this network includes 41 high-speed trains, 94 regional trains, and 41 freight locomotives. The first line (Sokhna - Alamein - Marsa Matrouh) has a length of 660 km and includes 21 stations (13 high-speed train stations and 8 regional stations), as well as a central control and command center.