Egypt to Carry Out Comprehensive Railway Network Development

Egypt’s Transport Minister Kamel al-Wazir in Cairo. (Ministry of Transport)
Egypt’s Transport Minister Kamel al-Wazir in Cairo. (Ministry of Transport)
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Egypt to Carry Out Comprehensive Railway Network Development

Egypt’s Transport Minister Kamel al-Wazir in Cairo. (Ministry of Transport)
Egypt’s Transport Minister Kamel al-Wazir in Cairo. (Ministry of Transport)

The Egyptian government is developing its railway network to provide distinguished services to passengers of trains and Cairo metro, Minister of Transport Kamel al-Wazir said.

Wazir said President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi had directed to expand and complete the railway network and develop and rehabilitate Helwan and Shubra el-Kheima train stations.

Wazir added that the political leadership also ordered establishing a giant transportation network of environmentally-friendly electric traction means, such as the three-line monorail network and the monorail and light rail projects, which constitute a major qualitative leap in the country’s means of transportation.

According to the government, the railway development project is based on several elements, including the mobile units (cars and tractors) and the rails (rails, stations and level crossings).

In addition to that, it targets developing the traffic light system to increase safety and security factors and supplying the project sites with all modern equipment, as well as training and educating workers.

Last year, Egypt witnessed several train accidents that left dozens of people dead and injured.

Wazir inspected on Saturday Cairo's main Ramses railway station and was briefed on the trial operation of its electronic gates.

He was also briefed on the new reservation system and its integration with the old reservation system and electronic portals.
According to the Ministry statement, e-gates have been installed at Ramses, Giza, Sidi Gaber, Misr in Alexandria, and Damanhour stations to regulate the entry and exit of passengers.

Wazir said the first metro line will be developed to improve the trains’ arrival times and the service provided to passengers, develop traffic, communication and central control systems, as well as the mobile units by purchasing 55 new air-conditioned trains.



Tunisia Hands Lengthy Prison Terms to Top Politicians and Former Security Officials

Leader of Tunisia's Ennahda party House Speaker Rached Ghannouchi, center, flashes a victory sign as he arrives for questioning at the judicial police headquarters in Tunis, Tunisia, April 1, 2022. (AP)
Leader of Tunisia's Ennahda party House Speaker Rached Ghannouchi, center, flashes a victory sign as he arrives for questioning at the judicial police headquarters in Tunis, Tunisia, April 1, 2022. (AP)
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Tunisia Hands Lengthy Prison Terms to Top Politicians and Former Security Officials

Leader of Tunisia's Ennahda party House Speaker Rached Ghannouchi, center, flashes a victory sign as he arrives for questioning at the judicial police headquarters in Tunis, Tunisia, April 1, 2022. (AP)
Leader of Tunisia's Ennahda party House Speaker Rached Ghannouchi, center, flashes a victory sign as he arrives for questioning at the judicial police headquarters in Tunis, Tunisia, April 1, 2022. (AP)

A Tunisian court on Tuesday handed jail terms of 12 to 35 years on high-profile politicians, including opposition leader Rached Ghannouchi and former security officials, a move that critics say underscores the president's use of the judiciary to cement “authoritarian rule”.

Among those sentenced on charges of conspiring against the state in the major mass trial, were Nadia Akacha, the former chief of staff to President Kais Saied, local radio Mosaique FM said. Akacha who fled abroad received 35 years.

Ghannouchi, 84, veteran head of the Islamist-leaning Ennahda party, was handed a 14-year term.

Ghannouchi who was the speaker of the elected parliament dissolved by Saied, has been in prison since 2023, receiving three sentences of a total of 27 years in separate cases in recent months.

A total of 21 were charged in the case, with 10 already in custody and 11 having fled the country.

The court sentenced former intelligence chief Kamel Guizani to 35 years, former Foreign Minister Rafik Abdessalem to 35 years, and Mouadh Ghannouchi, son of Rached Ghannouchi, to 35 years. All three have fled the country.

Saied dissolved the parliament in 2021 and began ruling by decree, then dissolved the independent Supreme Judicial Council and sacked dozens of judges, a move that opposition called a coup which undermined the nascent democracy that sparked in 2011 the so-called “Arab Spring” uprisings.

Saied rejects the accusations and says his steps are legal and aim to end years of chaos and corruption hidden within the political elite.

Most opposition leaders, some journalists, and critics of Saied have been imprisoned since he seized control of most powers in 2021.

This year, a court handed jail terms of 5 to 66 years to opposition leaders, businessmen and lawyers on charges of conspiring as well, a case the opposition says is fabricated in an attempt to stamp out opposition to the president.