Public transport and streets of Egypt

In this report, we will get acquainted with Public Transport Cairo, Alexandria, Luxor, Aswan and Oasis Al-Fayum, see Tuk Tuki in Cairo, a two-story tram in Alexandria and just look at the types of Egyptian streets with their car traffic.

Let’s start with the story about the Cairo tram system. For the first time, tram in the Egyptian capital began its work in 1896, the tram line itself was built by the Belgian company "SA des Tramways du caire". In 1917, 22 routes existed in Cairo, including a line to the Great Pyramids and crossing the Nile River. After the opening of the Cairo Metro in 1987, trams began to disappear from the streets of the city, but even now, when walking in the city center, you can see tram tracks sticking out of asphalt. Now in Cairo there are only 3 routes: 2 directions from Ramses railway station towards Heliopolis and 1 line in Cairo satellite city in Heluana. Travel there – 50 Kyrgyz (for our money 4 rubles).

Tram line track – 1000 mm. On the photo-tram line, built in 1908 with a length of 15 km. At the moment, the tram exists in 4 countries of African Continenta Egypt, Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia. Most of the tram systems up to the 60s. It was in South Africa.

Trams belong to the Japanese company KINKI-SHARYO 1979-1980. Replaced Czechoslovak Tatra 1973 production.

Cairo Tuk-Tuk (it’s motorotxi) Indian production. Very cheap fuel consumption in 3 liters per 100 km.

Cairo Metro-1 in Africa and the Middle East Fully rebuilt Metropolitan. 1 Metro Line was opened in 1987 by connecting two already existing ground lines with a large underground site laid under the city center. On 1 line – 35 stations. 2 Line was put into operation in 1996-2000. With 20 stations. 3 Line Opened in 2012-2014. Railway width – 1435 mm. The total length of 78 km, the number of stations at the time of 2014 – 61. Daily passenger traffic- 4 million. human. Travel -1 Pound (8 rubles). Cars manufactured by Japanese Kinki Sharyo.

Metro station "Cairo University". In the Cairo subway, the first two wagons of each composition – only for women. It lasts until early evenings and is intended for women who do not want to drive with men in one car. However, women can freely use all other cars.

Parking minibuses in Giza.

Here was the hell’s traffic jam.

Along with the road already street trade.

Be to positive.

The border of the administrative district of Cairo and Giza.

Example car number.

Old rare cars.

District of the doctors not far from the our Embassy and the our Cultural Center.

Cairo bus, passing usually 1 pound (8 rubles), often the conductor stands on the bottom step and shouts the name of the final stop in the course of the movement, thus calling the passengers. Almost always they are packed, people stand on the bottom step along with the controller. One day there was a moment, I was driving to my fellow men, unexpectedly, people began to shout, and then, when the man was surprised on the shoulders of other passengers, I realized that something serious. The bus from the behind smoked.1 time rode even with a hole in the floor, so the asphalt was visible. Very rarely found very spacious buses with air conditioning and Wi-Fi with a ticket price of 2 pounds (16 rubles).

Often personal cars are covered with similar awning.

Egyptian train. I will say that inside is quite good. Most trains are seated cars (Cairo Alexandria, Cairo Port Said, Cairo Luxor Aswan). Often goes trade bananas, egyptian cakes, so you can eat. Railway appeared in Egypt in 1854 by connecting Alexandria and Kafr-Issa, she is the oldest line in Africa and the Middle East. There was a project for the construction of a transhophrican highway with a length of 11,500 km of the English entrepreneur Cecil Rhodes (Cecil John Rhodes) at the end of the 19th century on the construction of the railway line from Cape Town to Cairo, then stretch the branch to Istanbul, providing access to the European capital metropolis of Berlin and Paris, facilitating the export of minerals to Europe. The length of the line between Cairo and Alexandria is 160 km, the same distance to Port Said. From Cairo to Aswan – 960 km, where the railway line ends. From Alexandria to West there is also a branch to the Libyan border through El Alamein (where there was a turning point in the African theater of hostilities during 2 World War), the popular resort of Marsa-Meruch to Oasis Siva.

Interior of a simple suburban train.

Moving now to the description of the Alexandria tram system, which is one of the oldest and oldest in Africa.Tram in Alexandria began working in 1863. At first it was a horse, then the locomotive traction was applied, and in 1902 the system was electrified. Currently, there are 2 separate networks of lines and 38 tram stations in Alexandria. Parts can be from one to four cars (including two-storey). Travel on the tram is 25 Kyrgyzny (2 rubles). Wide soft seats with high, above head, backs, divide the entire wagon on a few coupe. The windows are lowered almost 90% of the glass, and you can go, putting the elbow on the lowered glass. Cool breeze blows in the face, the tram day moves slowly, but in the evenings it goes much faster, reaching the train speed.

Alexandrian tram generally causes full associations with a suburban train. Most of the stops are made as Perron with the station. Trade is often unfolded on the platform, sometimes there are fields from a cafe.The tram paths run through the whole city, for the tourist it is interesting to just sit down in the center at the final stop and slowly drive throughout the route, back and forth. Tram routes are long, so such a trip will take almost two hours. On the path of the tram there are no deserted sites, life wraps around, and the passenger will be interested throughout the route.

Allowed to somehow sit in the car cabin. Cars manufactured by the German company Duewag AG, which up to 60s. XX century was one of the largest manufacturers of rolling line of rail transport. Initially, the whole rolling stock was in Copenhagen, from where they were written off in Alexandria.

The tram system is widely known in that it is one of the three tram systems in the world using two-story trams (other two – Hong Kong and Blackpools in England) of the Japanese company Kinki-Sharyo.

Type of tram line in Alexandria.

This is in a 16 millionth megalopolis.

And this is Aswan, where Soviet has been preserved among the taxi "Volga" Together with french "Peugeot".