Railway services between Cairo and Upper Egypt to resume

[DJKeefy]

Service will resume on a number of different rail routes from Cairo to Upper Egypt on Saturday.

Nagwa Albeir, the media advisor at Egypt's railway authority, told Ahram Online that 14 different services between Cairo and Upper Egypt will restart on Saturday.

Train services into and out of Cairo were halted in August after widespread unrest following the dispersal of Islamist protest camps in Cairo by the security forces.

While trains were prevented from leaving or arriving at the capital, secondary inter-city lines were operating normally.

The decision came on Wednesday following a meeting between the railway authority and security officials.

In October, 28 services between the capital and the Mediterranean city of Alexandria were resumed.

Currently, 56 out of a total 188 services between Cairo and nationwide destinations have been resumed.

The authority lost LE4 million daily since the stoppage started.

"Since the mid-August political turmoil, the authority has sustained [additional] LE12 million in losses due to damage at offices and lines, and LE21 million from theft of spare parts and tracks," Albeir told Ahram Online in October.

Under normal conditions, Egypt's railway service transports around 500 million passengers annually, a rate of 1.4 million per day, according to the Railway Authority's website.

Source: http://english.ahram.org.eg/News/87057.aspx

[Remus]

This is good news -
as is Canada ending its travel restrictions for Egypt.

[LovelyLadyLux]

@ Remus - really? Canada ended their restrictions? Looked it up and I'm still showing this:


EGYPT - AVOID NON-ESSENTIAL TRAVEL

Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development Canada advises against non-essential travel to Egypt (with the exception of the Red Sea coastal resorts of Sharm El-Sheikh and Hurghada and the area along the upper Nile, from Luxor to Aswan, where you should exercise a high degree of caution) due to the unpredictable security situation and continued demonstrations in many parts of the country. The security situation is fluid and the ability to provide consular services may be limited at short notice. We recommend that Canadians register with the Registration of Canadians Abroad service. You are responsible for your personal safety abroad. If you do travel to Egypt, we strongly recommend that you plan your travel through a reputable travel company/agency. Travel companies in Egypt are well informed of the security situation and can better plan accordingly.

Regional Advisory for the Sinai Peninsula (except Sharm El-Sheikh)
Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development Canada advises against all travel to the Sinai Peninsula, with the exception of the coastal resort of Sharm El-Sheikh, where you should exercise caution. Consult the Security tab for more information.




Regional Advisory for the Port Said, Suez and Ismailia
Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development Canada advises against all travel to Port Said, Suez and Ismailia due to violent demonstrations and civil unrest that have led to casualties.

Coastal resorts
Exercise a high degree of caution when travelling to Sharm El-Sheikh and Hurghada as well as the area along the upper Nile, from Luxor to Aswan. We strongly advise you to arrive and depart by air.

[Remus]

The news came via Canadians who have now bought their
tickets and insurance for Luxor & Aswan.

[LovelyLadyLux]

@ Remus - ahhhh cool that the Canucks are about to arrive! They must be lusting for heat cause we're into freezing temps here now.

I hope they're travelling from the east coast as that would knock about 8 hours off their flight. I always flew leaving from west coast and would have to route through UK (preferred as connecting wait was about 5 hours) or Amsterdam (connecting wait typically 13 hours) to Cairo.