Workers and traffic light technicians went on a 3-hour strike on Tuesday to demand that incentives be added to their basic salaries after their claims had been ignored. This brought train traffic to a complete standstill, causing great confusion at Cairo train station. Anger spread among passengers because of the delays. They described this as corruption and negligence inside the Egyptian Railways Authority, especially as this was the second strike in a week. Passenger Ahmed Fathi said: "A week ago, I booked my ticket from Sohag to Cairo because I had to do some work for my company. I rarely visit Cairo, so I informed all my parents living there that I'd arrive at 11:30 a.m. at Cairo station. At Giza station, though, the train suddenly stopped and the conductor told us it wouldn't go any further". "The passengers and I waited for an hour or so inside the train hoping it'd move again. In fact, we had been left stranded in a deserted area between Giza and Imbaba, with no platforms. When we became fed up with waiting, worry and despair started to spread among the passengers, especially women and children. Then the conductor made us get off the train. The passengers helped each other unload the luggage and also helped the elderly, who could not jump onto the railways directly, off the train. "I called my relatives. They'd been waiting for me at Cairo Station for three hours. I told them what had happened and they advised me to take a cab and reach them there. Taxi drivers, though, took advantage of the situation and raised the price up to LE 30." Basama el-Rifai, a student at a high education institute, told her experience. "I kept waiting for the train for two hours. That was the train I usually get on every day during the exams. As it was late due to the strike, I and my classmates decided to take a microbus. The drivers, though, raised the fee. As I didn't have enough money, I tried to call one of my relatives in Cairo to borrow some. I couldn't, though. There were too many people. All I could do was to wait for the train." Some passengers had to give their tickets back after losing all hope for an end of the strike. They also said they were concerned that the strike could last until early in the evening as had been the case last week. 52-year-old Saad Rafik said: "I went back home late for the second time in one week. I usually take the train from Cairo to Alexandria to attend regular meetings at my company's main headquarters. Yet, the Authority puts the blame on us for its corruption." The Ministry of Transportation had to resort to the buses of some travel agencies to reduce the massive crowd at the station. An official at a travel company said: "The Ministry of Transportation called on us to move our bus station close to the train station. As soon as our cars arrived there, passengers rushed off to get on them. We even had to resort to the additional cars that we usually use in summer or during holidays. Trader Fathi el-Qadi said the train station also affected buses traveling across the country. "Although I booked my ticket two days ago, I could find no place inside the bus. I had to wait three hours till the crowd decreased, at the end of the strike. "
