Cairo Monorail

Cairo Monorail
Overview
Native nameمونوريل القاهرة
OwnerNational Authority for Tunnels
Area servedGreater Cairo
LocaleCairo, Egypt
Transit typeMonorail
Number of lines1 line operational
1 line under construction.
Number of stations33 Stations[1]
Operation
Operation will startMarch 2026 (2026-03)[2]
Number of vehicles70 Alstom Innovia 300 Monorail vehicles
Technical
System length96 km (60 mi) planned[3]
Average speed80 km/h (50 mph)[1]

The Cairo Monorail (Arabic: مونوريل القاهرة) is a partly operational two-line monorail rapid transit system in the Greater Cairo metropolitan area and is projected to become the longest driverless monorail system in the world when completed.[4] The two lines will create the first public transport from The New Capital and 6th of October to Cairo when completed.[5] Travel time for the 53km East Nile Line between the New Administrative Capital and eastern Cairo is about 60 minutes, while the 42km West Nile line connecting 6th of October with Giza is expected to be about 42 minutes.[6]

The East Nile Line was inaugurated on March 20, 2026.[7]

Background

The Cairo Monorail was first conceptualized in the late 2010s to combat the rise of traffic in the Greater Cairo area, and to provide a rapid transportation option for suburban residents. The Monorail was also thought of as a rail link between Cairo and Egypt's New Administrative Capital. The Monorail has also been chosen to use renewable resources, to cause less pollution and to be a zero emissions form of transit. The monorail is also automated, meaning it does not require a driver for operations.[8]

Funding

Funding for the project was secured and obtained through a mix of local and international investments. This included a substantial loan facilitation agreement between the National Authority for Tunnels and JP Morgan Europe Limited, as well as contributions from other financial institutions such as the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and the European Investment Bank (EIB). The total funding amounted to approximately 4.5 billion Euros.[9]

Design and operation

In August 2019, the French rolling stock manufacturer, Alstom, would lead a consortium with many businesses, which includes The Arab Contractors: Osman Ahmed Osman & Co and Orascom. The consortium would sign a 2.7 billion Euros contract to design, construct, operate, and maintain the two monorail lines. Upon completion of the construction phase, the consortium will provide 30 years of operation and maintenance services for both lines. [10]

Opening date

The East Nile line was expected to first open to the public in 2023,[11][12] however was delayed to October 2024, before being further delayed to mid-2025.[13] The initial trial operations will run from the control center at the New Administrative Capital to the Moshir Mosque Station.[14]

Routes

The two lines connect to Cairo Metro Line 3, but are not directly connected to each other.

East Nile line

Construction on this line began in 2019 and was initially scheduled for completion in May 2022. However, the completion date was postponed to October 2023, with operations expected to start in April 2024. By January 2026, trial operation was underway, with passenger operations starting on March 20, 2026[15].[16]

The line is 56.5 kilometres (35.1 mi) long, with 22 stations starting with Stadium and stops named Hisham Barakat, Al-Azhar University, Seventh District, El-Musheer Ahmed Ismail, Jehan El-Sadat, El-Musheer Tantawi, One Ninety, Air Force Hospital, El-Nargues, Investors, Al-Lotus, Golden Square, Beit El-Watan, Al-Fattah Al-Alim Mosque, R1, R2, Central Business District, Art and Culture City, Governmental District, Misr Mosque and terminating at Justice City.[17]

The line provides as a transfer to the Cairo Metro Line 3 at its terminus in Stadium station. It is also connected to the Cairo LRT at the Arts and Culture City station of the LRT.

West Nile line

Work on the October Line started in January 2020, and was projected to begin operating in mid 2023.[18] However work on it has been delayed due to difficulties in expropriating land for the project, pushing the operational date to October 2024. It's currently delayed, with no estimated operation date.[19]

The line will be 45 kilometres (28 mi) long, with 13 stations starting with New October Station, Industrial Zone Station, Sadat Station, Sixth of October City Authority Station, Engineers Association Station, Nile University Station, Hyper One station, Cairo-Alexandria Desert Road, Mansouriya Station, Mariouteya Station, Ring Road Station, Bashteel Station, and terminating at Nile Valley Station.[20]

The line will provide a transfer to the Cairo Metro Line 3 at Wadi El Nile Station, part of the line's eastern expansion plans.

Rolling stock

Cairo Monorail is set to use 70 fully automated Alstom Innovia Monorail 300 vehicles for both lines. The vehicles are four cars long and were manufactured at Alstom's Derby Litchurch Lane Works factory in Derby, United Kingdom. [6]

The Innovia 300 Monorail system incorporates Alstom’s Cityflo 650 CBTC system, which uses radio communication and moving block technology to manage train operations.[21]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "Cairo Monorail System in Egypt". Railway Technology. Archived from the original on 9 July 2021. Retrieved 21 August 2020.
  2. ^ "موعد تشغيل مونوريل العاصمة بالركاب.. بشرى سارة لسكان القاهرة". cairo24.com (in Arabic). January 26, 2026. Retrieved February 12, 2026.
  3. ^ "Monorails of the New Administrative Capital and 6 October City | The Arab Contractors". www.arabcont.com. Arab Contractors. Archived from the original on 1 September 2021. Retrieved 21 August 2020.
  4. ^ "Egypt's Cairo Monorails Project, which will be the longest driverless - Hill International, Inc. on LinkedIn | 69 comments". www.linkedin.com.
  5. ^ Stein, Joshua (16 April 2020). "£2bn Egypt monorail project reaches milestone with ground investigation underway". New Civil Engineer. Archived from the original on 13 July 2021. Retrieved 21 August 2020.
  6. ^ a b "INNOVIA monorail 300 / CITYFLO 650 - Cairo, Egypt". Bombardier Transportation. Bombardier. Archived from the original on 11 July 2021. Retrieved 21 August 2020.
  7. ^ https://www.egypttoday.com/Article/1/145804/East-Nile-monorail-begins-operations-linking-Cairo-to-New-Capital
  8. ^ "Everything you need to know about Cairo Monorail". Archived from the original on 2024-09-11. Retrieved 2025-03-20.
  9. ^ "Cairo Monorail". Railway Technology. Archived from the original on 2021-07-09. Retrieved 2024-09-11.
  10. ^ "The Monorail story for greater Cairo". Alstom. Archived from the original on 2024-09-11. Retrieved 2024-09-11.
  11. ^ "Seven things to know about the New Administrative Capital's monorail project". 31 May 2021. Archived from the original on 13 June 2021. Retrieved 13 June 2021.
  12. ^ "Alstom completes trial run of Cairo monorail system". RailTech.com. 2022-11-10. Retrieved 2023-01-22.
  13. ^ "موعد تشغيل مونوريل العاصمة الإدارية الجديدة.. اعرف التفاصيل". اليوم السابع (in Arabic). 2025-01-18. Retrieved 2025-03-29.
  14. ^ "Egypt's Monorail Project Starts Trial Operations in October | Egyptian Streets". 2024-09-09. Retrieved 2024-09-11.
  15. ^ Ekanem, Solomon (2026-03-21). "Africa's longest monorail line begins operations as Egypt opens 56.5km Cairo route". Business Insider Africa. Retrieved 2026-03-23.
  16. ^ "موعد تشغيل مونوريل العاصمة بالركاب.. بشرى سارة لسكان القاهرة". cairo24.com (in Arabic). January 26, 2026. Retrieved February 12, 2026.
  17. ^ http://www.nat.gov.eg/LocationActivityAr.aspx?id=2089
  18. ^ "Cairo Monorail - The New Administrative Capital and 6th of October Lines | The Arab Contractors". www.arabcont.com. Archived from the original on 2021-09-01. Retrieved 2023-06-17.
  19. ^ "رئيس هيئة الأنفاق لـ"الدستور": 75% نسبة تنفيذ مشروع مونوريل شرق النيل والافتتاح أكتوبر 2024". Dostor. 2024-01-14. Archived from the original on 2024-02-04. Retrieved 2024-02-04.
  20. ^ "Here is where Egypt's monorail stops will be located". Egypt Independent. 12 November 2020. Archived from the original on 5 March 2021. Retrieved 15 July 2021.
  21. ^ Rajab, Said (2021-07-01). "Alstom marks major milestone in Cairo Monorail project". TREM Africa. Archived from the original on 2024-09-11. Retrieved 2024-09-11.

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