Cairo Metro

Trains run under the big city.

They help many people move fast. Many people use these trains every day. They help you get to work or school.

These trains help many people travel. The tracks go under the ground. One line even goes under a big river.

There are three main lines. They have many stops. Some stops let you change trains. This helps you go to new places.

Women have their own cars on the trains. This helps them feel safe. There are blue signs to show where they are.

The trains run from early in the morning. They stop late at night. They are a great way to travel.

The Cairo Metro is a fast train system in Egypt.

It was the first metro in Africa and the Middle East. The first line opened in 1987. It ran from Helwan to Ramses Square. Today, the metro has 84 stations.

Five of these are transfer stations. These are places where you can change trains.

There are three main lines in use. Line 1 is blue. Line 2 is red. It was the second line to open in 1996. This line has a tunnel under the Nile River. Line 3 is green. It is the newest line. It opened its first part in 2012.

Trains run from 5:00 in the morning until 1:00 at night. During the month of Ramadan, they stay open until 2:00. To keep women safe, some cars are for women only. These cars are the fourth and fifth cars on the train. You can find them by looking for blue signs. This helps women ride without being near men.

The Cairo Metro is a fast train system in Egypt. It helps people move through the huge city of Greater Cairo. This city is the biggest in Africa and the Middle East. It has millions of people living there. Many more people travel into the city every day to work.

Because so many people live and work there, the city needed a way to move everyone quickly. The metro makes this possible by carrying huge crowds of people.

The system works using different colored lines. Line 1 is blue and is the oldest line. It uses overhead lines to get power. Line 2 is red and opened in 1996. It uses a third rail for power instead. This line even has a tunnel that goes under the Nile River.

Line 3 is green and is the newest line. It also goes under the branches of the Nile. These trains follow set paths through tunnels or above the ground. This way, they avoid the heavy traffic on the streets.

People first thought about a metro in the 1930s. An engineer named Saiyed Abdel Wahed had the idea. Later, experts from France, the Soviet Union, and Japan studied the city. They all suggested different ways to build the lines. In 1970, a French company called SOFRETU won a contest to study the project.

They finished their study in 1973. This study showed that three lines would help the most. A company called Entra Nevra Arabco then helped build the first line.

Line 1 opened its first part on September 27, 1987. It ran from Helwan to Ramses Square. By 2013, the metro carried nearly 4 million people every day. As of May 2024, there are 84 stations in the whole system. Five of these stations are transfer stations where you change trains.

Line 1 can carry 60,000 passengers every hour in each direction. The trains on Line 1 come every three to four minutes.

You can ride the metro from 5:00 in the morning until 1:00 at night. During Ramadan, the trains stay open until 2:00. To help women feel safe, the fourth and fifth cars are for women only. You can find these cars by looking for blue signs.

This rule started in 1989 to protect women from harassment. The metro is a huge part of how life works in Cairo. It connects different parts of the city together every single day.

The Cairo Metro is a high-capacity rapid transit system in Greater Cairo, Egypt. It serves as a vital transportation artery for one of the most densely populated megacities in Africa and the Middle East. The system is owned and operated by the National Authority for Tunnels. As a major piece of infrastructure, it helps move millions of people through a massive urban area.

By providing a way to bypass heavy street traffic, the metro ensures that the city remains functional despite its immense size.

The metro system operates through a network of distinct, colored lines that use different technologies. Line 1, the blue line, is the oldest and uses an overhead line system to provide electricity to the trains. Line 2, the red line, was established later and utilizes a third rail electrification system. This means power is drawn from a third rail on the ground rather than wires above. Line 3, the green line, is the newest addition to the network. This line is notable because it crosses under both branches of the Nile River.

Each line follows specific paths through bored tunnels or elevated sections to reach various parts of the city.

Line 1 serves as the backbone of the system and connects Helwan to El-Marg. It features 35 stations and covers a significant distance. The trains on this line consist of three units, totaling nine cars per train. These trains run with a headway, or time between trains, of 3.5 to 4 minutes. This allows Line 1 to carry up to 60,000 passengers per hour in each direction. The line also uses a train driving simulator to help with operations.

Line 2 provides essential connectivity from Shubra El-Kheima to El Mounib. It consists of 20 stations, 12 of which are located underground. Much of this line is built using bored tunnels, though some sections are elevated or use cut-and-cover construction. Line 2 is famous for including the first tunnel built under the Nile River. The minimum headway for Line 2 is slightly faster than Line 1, ranging from 2.7 to 3 minutes.

Line 3 is currently undergoing significant expansion through several distinct phases. Phase 1 opened in 2012, connecting Attaba to Abbassia. Subsequent phases have extended the line to Al Ahram and through the Rod El-Farag Corridor. As of May 2024, the line has reached Cairo University. The ultimate goal for Line 3 is to eventually connect to the Cairo International Airport. This line also utilizes bored tunnels to navigate the complex geography of the city.

The history of the Cairo Metro began with early proposals in the 1930s by engineer Saiyed Abdel Wahed. However, the project did not move forward until decades later. Throughout the 1950s and 1960s, experts from France, the Soviet Union, and Japan all studied the city's needs. In 1970, the French company SOFRETU won an international tender to conduct a major study. This study, finished in 1973, concluded that three lines were necessary to solve Cairo's transport problems.

Construction of the first line finally began in 1982 following a loan from the French government.

The impact of the metro on Cairo's capacity is massive. Before the metro was built, the city's public transport could handle about 20,000 passengers per hour. After the metro was implemented, that capacity increased to 60,000 passengers per hour. By 2013, the system was carrying nearly 4 million passengers every single day. As of May 2024, the network has grown to include 84 stations. Five of these are transfer stations, which allow passengers to switch between different lines.

Safety and social policy are also integrated into the metro's daily operations. Since 1989, the fourth and fifth cars of each train have been reserved for women. This policy was introduced to protect women from sexual harassment. Passengers can identify these cars by looking for blue signs, though the signs are pink on the first two lines. The metro operates from 05:00 to 01:00 daily, except during the month of Ramadan when it stays open until 02:00. The remaining hours are used for essential maintenance work to keep the system running smoothly.