Egypt Expands Railway Network to Include Sudan, Libya

Passengers wait for their train near a damaged train carriage (File photo: Reuters)
Passengers wait for their train near a damaged train carriage (File photo: Reuters)
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Egypt Expands Railway Network to Include Sudan, Libya

Passengers wait for their train near a damaged train carriage (File photo: Reuters)
Passengers wait for their train near a damaged train carriage (File photo: Reuters)

The Egyptian government is seeking to expand its network of trains within the framework of a giant project aimed at reaching new geographical areas, and linking the country with neighboring Libya and Sudan.

Egyptian Transport Minister Kamel el-Wazir announced that Egypt will launch an electric rail line, worth EGP360 million, to connect all governorates together and also link the country with Libya and Sudan.

Kamel said in a TV statement that the speed of the electric train would be 250 kilometers per hour and it is part of the multiple-line network, adding that all Egyptian ports, industrial zones, and the new capital should be connected through this high-speed train network.

The railway extends over approximately 9,570 kilometers, according to official data.

The Ministry of Transport says it is implementing a plan to urgently repair and rehabilitate existing railway lines, hoping to serve 500 million passengers annually.

The project faced criticism after government announcements were inconsistent with that of the company implementing the plans regarding the length of the railway lines.

The minister noted that the initial project was planned to be outside October 6 City, but the plans were changed because the main goal is to serve the Egyptians.

The first rail line would run from Ain Sokhna on the Red Sea to New Alamein on the Mediterranean coast, passing through the new capital in the east of Cairo.

The Minister indicated that it will be developed to link three points: Gargoub port, Siwa, and Salloum which will be extended till Benghazi in Libya.

Another express rail link should be established between October City in Giza and the Upper Egyptian cities of Luxor and Aswan, Wazir further said.

It will continue to Wadi Halfa in Sudan, in order to maximize the transportation network in Egypt, increase its quality, and connect it with neighboring countries.

The project is expected to be completed within two years, the minister said, adding that the total expenses of the project will be paid over 20 years.



Trump, Netanyahu Meet Again as Gaps Said to Narrow in Gaza Ceasefire Talks

07 July 2025, US, Washington: US President Donald Trump receives Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speak privately in the Vermeil Room before a dinner at the White House. (Daniel Torok/White House/dpa)
07 July 2025, US, Washington: US President Donald Trump receives Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speak privately in the Vermeil Room before a dinner at the White House. (Daniel Torok/White House/dpa)
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Trump, Netanyahu Meet Again as Gaps Said to Narrow in Gaza Ceasefire Talks

07 July 2025, US, Washington: US President Donald Trump receives Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speak privately in the Vermeil Room before a dinner at the White House. (Daniel Torok/White House/dpa)
07 July 2025, US, Washington: US President Donald Trump receives Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speak privately in the Vermeil Room before a dinner at the White House. (Daniel Torok/White House/dpa)

US President Donald Trump on Tuesday met for a second time in two days with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to discuss Gaza as Trump's Middle East envoy said Israel and Hamas were closing their differences on a ceasefire deal.

Netanyahu arrived at the White House shortly before 5 p.m. EDT for a meeting that was not expected to be open to the press. The two men met for several hours during a dinner at the White House on Monday during the Israeli leader's third US visit since the president began his second term on January 20.

Netanyahu met with Vice President JD Vance and then visited the US Capitol on Tuesday. He told reporters after a meeting with the Republican House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson that while he did not think Israel's campaign in the Palestinian enclave was done, negotiators are "certainly working" on a ceasefire.

"We have still to finish the job in Gaza, release all our hostages, eliminate and destroy Hamas' military and government capabilities," Netanyahu said.

Netanyahu's return to the White House to see Trump on Tuesday pushed back his meeting with US Senate leaders to Wednesday.

Shortly after Netanyahu spoke, Trump's special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, said the issues keeping Israel and Hamas from agreeing had dropped to one from four and he hoped to reach a temporary ceasefire agreement this week.

"We are hopeful that by the end of this week, we'll have an agreement that will bring us into a 60-day ceasefire. Ten live hostages will be released. Nine deceased will be released," Witkoff told reporters at a meeting of Trump's Cabinet.

The Gaza war erupted when Hamas attacked southern Israel in October 2023, killing around 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages, according to Israeli figures. Some 50 hostages remain in Gaza, with 20 believed to be alive.

Israel's retaliatory war in Gaza has killed over 57,000 Palestinians, according to the enclave's health ministry. Most of Gaza's population has been displaced by the war and nearly half a million people are facing famine within months, according to United Nations estimates.

Trump had strongly supported Netanyahu, even wading into domestic Israeli politics by criticizing prosecutors over a corruption trial against the Israeli leader on bribery, fraud and breach-of-trust charges that Netanyahu denies.

In his remarks to reporters at the US Congress, Netanyahu praised Trump, saying there has never been closer coordination between the US and Israel in his country's history.