The second phase of construction for Cairo’s Metro Line 3 officially got under way recently. The new line will help to increase the capacity of the Cairo Metro to some 4.5 million commuters when completed. The line will eventually extend from Imbaba to Heliopolis and will serve Cairo Airport. Currently the Cairo metro system serves 2.5 million daily commuters and is Africa’s only full-fledged metro system.
Phase one construction of the third line covered from Attaba to Abbassiya with three new stations at Al-Gaish, Abdo Basha and Al-Abbassiya. The second phase will include four new stations at Cairo Fairgrounds, the Stadium, Koliyat Al-Banat and Al-Ahram Street and should be completed in October of 2012. The new stations will have state-of-the-art security and technology with a contactless fare collection system and commercial outlets.
Much of the work is being completed in partnership with French transportation companies. Francoise Meley, the head of the French Embassy’s economic department in Cairo was at the inauguration of phase two work. “We are very proud to be the partner of Egypt in the development of the Cairo metro network, which is directly benefitting Cairo’s citizens, by making their everyday lives easier and also by reducing air pollution,” she said.
The master plan for Cairo’s metro system has a total of six lines serving the city’s densest areas. The six lines are planned to be complete by 2022.
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