Cairo Metro History & BackgroundCairo Metro History & BackgroundAs the biggest and most densely populated megacity in Africa and the Middle East, Greater Cairo had a strong case for a metro. In 1987 that population stood at 10 million residents, not counting the two million or so commuters who came into Cairo every day to work.: 11 The capacity of Cairo's public transport infrastructure was around 20,000 passengers/hour, which increased to 60,000 after the construction of the metro. Cairo Metro Proposed Plans The idea of a metro was first proposed in the 1930s by engineer Saiyed Abdel Wahed of the Egyptian Railway Authority,: 15 however, the idea did not progress. Following the Egyptian Revolution of 1952, there was renewed interest in the idea. In 1954 French experts made a report about the future of the transportation in Egypt. They proposed a metro encompassing two lines, one 12 km (7.5 mi) long line connecting Bab al-Louq and Ismailia and a second 5 km (3.1 mi) line connecting Boulaq and Abou al-Ela Castle. They also proposed that there should be one company in charge of all transportation systems. Later on, multiple experts came to Egypt regarding that project: Soviet experts in 1956, Japanese experts in 1960 and French experts in 1962, which concluded the following: The creation of a metro system with multiple lines. The first is a 5 km (3.1 mi) line connecting Helwan with El-Marg going under Kasr el Eini street and Ramses Street.: 15 The second line would be from Sayyidah Zaynab Mosque to Shobra going under Downtown Cairo and would be 9.5 km (5.9 mi) long.: 15 The third would be from Giza to Abbaseya and would be 11.5 km (7.1 mi) long. The fourth would be from Al Awqaf to the Castle and would be 6.7 km (4.2 mi) long. In 1964, British experts advised the creation of a metro line from Bab El Louk to Shubra.: 16 In 1966 Japanese experts advised the creation of a lane between Helwan and El Marg and another one going through Mohandiseen, Heliopolis and 26 of July Street, for a total of 26 km (16.2 mi).: 16 Lastly, in 1969, the government approved the need for a study showing the needed capacity for Cairo's transportation system.: 16 The Egyptian Ministry of Transport issued an international tender for the creation of the study. Eight companies applied and the French company SOFRETU won the tender on 20 September 1970.: 17 The study was finished in 1973 and included mainly the study of the population development in Cairo and its needs for transportation capacity in 1980, 1985 and 1990. It concluded the necessity for three lines in greater Cairo to solve the transportation problem.: 18 The first line would use the already available railways (Helwan-Bab El luk and Al Laymoun Bridge-El Marg) and connect them through a metro. It would be in total 43 km (26.7 mi) long. The second line would be 13.5 km (8.4 mi) and connect Shubra El-Kheima and Bulaq going through Ramses Street and Tahrir Square. The third line would go from El Darasa to Imbaba and would be in total 10 km (6.2 mi) long. The priority for the project was the first line which would reduce 30% of the daily transport to and from Cairo and would incorporate pre-existing rail infrastructure.: 19 The detailed study of the construction took 6 years from 1975 to 1981.: 19 A tender was made for the construction of the metro and the Egyptian-French company Entra Nevra Arabco won it and had the task of constructing the metro system. Cairo Metro Construction Works The construction of Line 1 started in 1982 after the French government agreed on giving Egypt the necessary loan. The first section was opened in 27 September 1987 and the line was completed in 1989 connecting Helwan with El Marg and consisting of 34 stations with a total length of 42.5 km of which 4.7 km underground. In 1999, New El Marg station was added to the northern end of the line, bringing its total length to 44 km. Helwan University station was built between Wadi Houf and Ain Helwan stations. Cairo's metro network was greatly expanded in the mid-1990s with the building of Line 2, from Shoubra El Kheima to Cairo University, with an extension to Giza. The line includes the first tunnel under the Nile. The construction of the line was finished in October 2000, and it was later extended to El Mounib. Cairo Metro Overview Cairo Metro Native Name: مترو أنفاق القاهرة Cairo Metro Owner: National Authority for Tunnels (Egyptian state) Cairo Metro Locale: Greater Cairo, Egypt Cairo Metro Transit Type: Rapid transit Cairo Metro Number of Lines: 3 Number of Stations: 84 Cairo Metro Daily Ridership: 2.2 million Cairo Metro Annual Ridership: 795.8 million (2020) Cairo Metro Began Operation: 27 September 1987 Cairo Metro Operator(s): Line 1: The Egyptian Co. for Metro Management & Operation Line 2: The Egyptian Co. for Metro Management & Operation Line 3: RATP Dev (15 years) Cairo Metro Character: Mixed Underground, At-grade and Elevated Cairo Metro System Length: Line 1: 44 km Line 2: 21.6 km Line 3: 41.2 km Cairo Metro Track Gauge: 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge Cairo Metro Electrification: Line 1: Overhead line,1.5 kV DC Lines 2 and 3: Third rail, 750 V DC Cairo Metro Route Map
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