Transport in Egypt

This article is part of a series on
Life in Egypt
Culture
Architecture Ancient Egyptian art Contemporary Cinema Cuisine Dance Belly dance Raqs sharqi Baladi Tahtib Tanoura Fashion History Holidays Language Literature Music Mythology Radio Sculpture Sport Symbols Flag Anthem Television
Society
People Identity Education Demographics Health Media Human rights Religion Wildlife World Heritage Sites
Politics
Presidency Government Parliament Political parties Military Corruption Law enforcement Foreign relations Law
Economy
Energy Tourism Telecommunications Transportation
Egypt portal
v t e

Transport in Egypt is centered in Cairo and largely follows the pattern of settlement along the Nile. The Ministry of Transportation and other government bodies are responsible for transportation in Egypt, whether by sea, river, land or air.

Contents

• Road system
• Railways
• Waterways
• Pipelines
• Ports
• Commercial Ports
• Merchant marine
• Airports
• Airports with paved runways
• Airports with unpaved runways
• Heliports
• Monorail
• See also
• External links
• References

With regards to rail, air and waterway travel, the main line of the nation's rail system follows along the Nile river and is operated by Egyptian National Railways. In addition to overseas routes, Egypt Air provides domestic air service to major tourist destinations from its Cairo hub. The Nile River system (about 1,600 km (990 mi)) and the principal canals (1,600 km (990 mi)) are important locally for transportation. People still travel via the Nile, mainly between Cairo and Aswan. The Suez Canal is a major waterway for international commerce and navigation, linking the Mediterranean and Red Sea. Major ports are Alexandria, Port Said, Damietta on the Mediterranean and Suez and Safaga on the Red Sea.

With regards to driving, Egypt has one of the highest incidents of road fatalities, per miles driven, in the world. ^[1] The badly maintained road network has expanded rapidly to over 33,796 km (21,000 mi), covering the Nile Valley and Nile Delta, Mediterranean and Red Sea coasts, the Sinai and the Western oasis. Traffic rules are routinely ignored by impatient drivers. ^{[1] [2]}

Road system

Two routes in the Trans-African Highway network originate in Cairo. Egypt also has multiple highway links with Asia through the Arab Mashreq International Road Network. Egypt has a developing motorway network, connecting Cairo with Alexandria and other cities. Though most of the transport in the country is still done on the national highways, motorways are becoming increasingly an option in road transport within the country. The existing motorways in the country are:

• Cairo - Alexandria Desert Road: It runs between Cairo and Alexandria, with an extension of 215 km (134 mi), it is the main motorway in Egypt.
• International Coastal Road: It runs from Alexandria to Port Said, along the Northern Nile Delta. It has a length of 280 km (170 mi). Also, amongst other cities, it connects Damietta and Baltim.
• Geish Road: It runs between Helwan and Asyut, along the Nile River, also connecting Beni Suef and Minya. Its length is 306 km (190 mi).
• Ring Road: It serves as an inner ring-road for Cairo. It has a length of 103 km (64 mi).
• Regional Ring Road: It serves as an outer ring road for Cairo, also connecting its suburbs like Helwan and 10th of Ramadan City. Its length is 130 km (81 mi).

Plus, Egypt has developed an extensive system of 4-lane highways that can be classified as freeways, because they serve as normal roads and do not discriminate the traffic on it, thus rendering them slower than motorways.

Railways

The Egyptian railway system is the oldest railway network in Africa and the Middle East and the second oldest in the world ^{[ citation needed ]}. The first line between Alexandria and Kafer Eassa was opened in 1854. In 2018, the system is about 5,085 km (3,160 mi) long ^[3] and is operated by the Egyptian National Railways. ENR carries about 800 million passengers and 12 million tonnes of freight annually.

A major investment programme was planned to begin in 2007 with the aim of modernizing the rail network and improving safety standards. ^[4] Trains are usually a safe means of transportation in Egypt. ^[1]

The city of Cairo is served by the Cairo Metro, which is run by the National Authority for Tunnels, in addition to the city of Alexandria that is served by the Alexandria Tram

Waterways

There are 3,500 km (2,200 mi) of waterways in Egypt, including the Nile, Lake Nasser, Alexandria-Cairo Waterway, and many smaller canals in the Nile Delta.

The Suez Canal, 193.5 km (120.2 mi) (including approaches), is used by oceangoing vessels, drawing up to 17.68 m of water (2011). ^[3]

Pipelines

As of 2018 the information in the CIA World Factbook states the following regarding Egypt's pipelines: "condensate 486 km; condensate/gas 74 km; gas 7,986 km; liquid petroleum gas 957 km; oil 5,225 km; oil/gas/water 37 km; refined products 895 km; water 65 km (2013)" ^{[3] [5]}

Ports

Egypt has 15 commercial ports ^[6] and 29 specialized ports. The specialized ports include 5 tourist seaports, 12 petroleum seaports, 6 mining seaports, and 6 fishing seaports. ^[7]

Merchant marine

In 2018, the number of Egypt's sea vessels, according to the CIA World Factbook is 399 as follows:

• bulk carrier: 14
• container ship: 8
• general cargo: 33
• petroleum tanker: 36
• Other: 308 (2017)

Airports

Graphs are unavailable due to technical issues. There is more info on Phabricator and on MediaWiki.org.

Annual passenger traffic at CAI airport. See Wikidata query.

Cairo International Airport is used by numerous international airlines, including the country's own Egypt Air and Nile Air.

Heliports

• 7 (2013)

Monorail

In 2015, plans to construct two monorail systems were announced, one linking October City to suburban Giza, a distance of 35 km, and the other linking Nasr City to New Cairo and the New Administrative Capital, a distance of 52 km. They will be Egypt's first monorail systems. ^{[8] [9]} In May 2019, the contract to build 70 four-car trains was awarded to Bombardier Transportation, Derby, England. Delivery of the trains is expected between 2021 and 2024. ^[10] The network is to be built by Orascom Construction and Arab Contractors.

See also

• Transport in Cairo
• Arab Union for Land Transport Company
• List of bus companies in Egypt
• List of lighthouses in Egypt

External links

• Map
• Egyptian National Railways
• The Holding Company for Maritime and Land Transport (archived 24 February 2018)

Related Research Articles

This article provides a breakdown of the transportation options available in Cameroon. These options are available to citizens and tourists such as railways, roadways, waterways, pipelines, and airlines. These avenues of transport are used by citizens for personal transportation, of goods, and by tourists for both accessing the country and traveling.

There are many modes of transport in Costa Rica but the country's infrastructure has suffered from a lack of maintenance and new investment. There is an extensive road system of more than 30,000 kilometers, although much of it is in disrepair; this also applies to ports, railways and water delivery systems. According to a 2016 U.S. government report, investment from China that attempted to improve the infrastructure found the "projects stalled by bureaucratic and legal concerns".

Transportation in Ecuador is the transport infrastructure networks in Ecuador and those connecting the country with other countries. Transportation in Ecuador include aviation, highways, pipelines, ports and harbors, railways and waterways. Apart from transporting passengers, the country is a relatively small exporter of fruits and vegetables such as banana, papayas and pineapples.

Transport in Ethiopia is overseen by the Ministry of Transport and Communications. Over the last years, the Ethiopian federal authorities have significantly increased funding for rail and road construction to build an infrastructure, that allows better economic development.

Modes of transport in Fiji include rail, road, water, and air. The rail network is mainly used for movement of sugar cane. Suva and Lautoka are the largest seaports. There are 122 km of navigable inland waterways. There are two international airports, one other paved airport, and over 20 with unpaved runways. With 333 tropical islands that make up this country, one can expect to use various modes of transport to get to their destination.

Modes of transport in Gabon include rail, road, water, and air. The one rail link, the Trans-Gabon Railway, connects the port of Owendo with the inland town of Franceville. While most of the country is connected by roads, not all areas are accessible. Much of the road network remains unpaved, and it primarily revolves around seven "national routes" labeled N1 through N7. The largest seaports are Port-Gentil and the newer Owendo, and 1,600 km of inland waterways are navigable. There are three international airports, eight other paved airports, and over 40 with unpaved runways. Nearly 300 km of pipelines carry petroleum products, mainly crude oil.

For Soviet transportation, see Transport in the Soviet Union.

Transport in Ghana is accomplished by road, rail, air and water. Ghana's transportation and communications networks are centered in the southern regions, especially the areas in which gold, cocoa, and timber are produced. The northern and central areas are connected through a major road system.

Transport in Greece has undergone significant changes in the past two decades, vastly modernizing the country's infrastructure and transportation. Although ferry transport between islands remains the prominent method of transport between the nation's islands, improvements to the road infrastructure, rail, urban transport, and airports have all led to a vast improvement in transportation. These upgrades have played a key role in supporting Greece's economy, which in the past decade has come to rely heavily on the construction industry.

In 1995, the main means of transportation in Moldova were railways and a highway system. The major railway junctions are Chișinău, Bender, Ungheni, Ocnița, Bălți, and Basarabeasca. Primary external rail links connect the republic's network with Odesa on the Black Sea and with the Romanian cities of Iași and Galați; they also lead northward into Ukraine. Highways link Moldova's main cities and provide the chief means of transportation within the country, but roads are in poor repair. The country's major airport is in Chișinău.

Transport in Poland involves air, water, road and rail transportation. The country has a large network of municipal public transport, such as buses, trams and the metro. As a country located at the 'cross-roads' of Europe, Poland is a nation with a large and increasingly modern network of transport infrastructure.

Transport in the Republic of Congo includes land, air and water modes. Over 3,000 km (1,900 mi) of paved roads are in use. The two international airports are Maya-Maya Airport and Pointe Noire Airport.

Transportation infrastructure in Romania is the property of the state, and is administered by the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure, Constructions and Tourism, except when operated as a concession, in which case the concessions are made by the Ministry of Administration and Interior.

Transport in Sudan during the early 1990s included an extensive railroad system that served the more important populated areas except in the far south, a meager road network, a natural inland waterway—the Nile River and its tributaries—and a national airline that provided both international and domestic service. Complementing this infrastructure was Port Sudan, a major deep-water port on the Red Sea, and a small but modern national merchant marine. Additionally, a pipeline transporting petroleum products extended from the port to Khartoum.

Transport in Ukraine includes ground transportation, water, air transportation, and pipelines. The transportation sector accounts for roughly 11% of the country's gross domestic product and 7% of total employment.

The transport in Azerbaijan involves air traffic, waterways and railroads. All transportation services in Azerbaijan except for oil and gas pipelines are regulated by the Ministry of Transportation of Azerbaijan Republic.

Egyptian National Railways is the national railway of Egypt and managed by the parastatal Egyptian Railway Authority.

The Ministry of Transportation of Egypt (MOT) is the part of the Cabinet of Egypt concerned with transportation. It is responsible for meeting the transportation needs of the country, whether by sea, land or air, and is aligned with Egyptian national development plans. It is governed by the Minister of Transportation.

References

 This article incorporates public domain material from The World Factbook. CIA.