Traffic jams in the coastal town of Alexandria cause stagnation and chaos. People suffer from the traffic police's lack of action. Haphazard microbus stations are spreading in the historic city. The Alexandria monorail is the best option to solve the problem, experts say. They do not always agree on how to end the crisis. While some are enthusiastic about an underground metro, others opposed the idea. "Government officials must swiftly solve the traffic crisis, the streets in Alexandria are completely jammed. The metro is not a practical solution; there are many archeological treasures buried under the town. If metro tunnels were drilled, they would destroy these ancient monuments," said Rim Abdel-Hamid Hussein, an assistant professor at the Higher Institute of Public Health, Alexandria University. On the other hand, an Egyptian archaeologist stated that Alexandria's foundation was quite solid and stable. "The metro is a suitable option. If the project was executed, the construction company could drill tunnels in the rock substratum, which is much deeper than the layer the archaeologists are concerned with. The experts can determine the depth of the proposed two lines," archeologist Ahmed Abdel-Fattah said. "The soil in Alexandria is harder than in Cairo, it is quite safe to build a metro. The passengers could see the ancient treasures, protected and preserved in glass boxes," he suggested. Contrary to conventional solutions, an expert suggested building a monorail, which would be faster and cost less than the metro. "Advanced countries don't build underground metros anymore, they are simply too expensive and their construction too time-consuming. In engineering projects, the financial costs are at the heart of feasibility studies," stated Mohamed Sherif el-Abbasi, the executive director of the Urban Planning Centre. A monorail is a transportation system based on a single rail, which acts as its sole support and guide. Monorails are environmentally friendly and safe. "The cost of building 1km of underground metro equals 4km of monorail. The latter is an ideal example of benefiting from space and providing high performance based on advanced technology. The planners should prepare a masterplan for a transportation network in Alexandria," el-Abbasi stated. For his part, a governmental official stressed that the idea was being studied. "We have formed a group of engineering and transportation experts to evaluate the feasibility of the project. The private sector will contribute to the project's construction via the BOT system," said Osama el-Fouli, the Governor of Alexandria.
