The President of the Transportation Committee of the People's Assembly, Hamdy el-Tahan, said the collapse of state authority and the lack of coordination among governmental bodies were some of the causes that have ruined Egypt's railway system and have bogged down the development project adopted by the competent ministry five years ago. "If you want to develop railway crossings, you bump into the kiosks that the municipalities have allowed people to build along the crossings themselves. And if you want to make station platforms longer, you bump into the houses that municipalities too have allowed being built with no authorization" he told Al-Masry Al-Youm. "Unfortunately, the Agricultural Road in Qalyub is besieged by buildings and kiosks and they make it impossible to enlarge the road. As a result, the area has become congested and no official knows how to get out of this impasse. "I'm astonished to hear some railway workers protesting and saying that there are technical flaws in the new locomotives. I think it's just nonsense. The problem is not in these highly-technical locomotives, which have been built by a huge company with a long history in this field. Indeed, the problem is the defects of the training process that those operating the locomotives go through." He pointed out that the Transportation Committee would hold a meeting at the end of March - when Transportation Minister Mohamed Mansour would present his report on the development carried out at the Egyptian Railway Authority (ERA) - to see what has been achieved. He also affirmed that by the end of March there would be 120 locomotives in Egypt, which he described as a big step forward. El-Tahan said that the railway system needed LE 20 billion so that the competent minister can reform this vital sector. He then affirmed that the Minister of Transportation had made good things for roads, ports, river transportation and railways, and that he had fought on all fronts amid difficult circumstances. He also pointed out that the current global economic crisis would affect all economic sectors in Egypt. "I expect the crisis to have a direct impact on investments in the transportation system. According to predictions, Suez Canal revenues will fall by 25% due to this crisis" he said. El-Tahan said that private companies' boats which used to be rent at as much as $180,000 were now rent at $18,000 (as was the case in the latest auction, he said), which is evidence of the crisis. He then played down the impact of piracy on the Suez Canal, saying: "A vehicle with some soldiers can wipe out those pirates. It's child's play."
