Egypt’s Ministry of Transport announced on Wednesday that it will not raise the price of train tickets before enhancing the service. In a statement, the spokesperson of the ministry, Mohamed Ezz, said that the intention of the ministry is not to raise prices of tickets despite the high expense of operation and maintenance.
He added that all countries all over the world witness train crashes, even in the countries that have developed the lines and networks of railways. He pointed out that the trains are still the safest means of transportation, and his ministry has a plan for developing this sector that serves millions of people every day.
According to the statement, the process of development includes importing 1,300 modern railcars and 100 modern locomotives in 2019, as well as developing 18 locomotives in November 2018, and providing spare parts worth $575m. He added that the process of development is supported by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development.
Egypt has witnessed several train crashes over the last 20 years, which have resulted in hundreds of casualties. The latest accident happened last week in Badrashin, Giza. The Ministry of Transport said that the reason for the accident is that the train track needs maintenance and renewal.
About 58 passengers were injured when the train derailed on a railway track near Badrashin station close to Giza.
Egypt’s railways have suffered for a long time from lacking any safety standards through successive governments. According to an official statement by the Egyptian National Railways and Central Agency for Public Mobilisation and Statistics in 2017, 12,326 rail accidents took place from 2006 to 2017.
