The Egyptian Cabinet has approved a plan to invest in road construction projects, Minister of Transportation Alaa Fahmy announced yesterday. The projects--the total value of which is estimated at LE10 billion--will be carried out through concessions to private entities or joint public-private partnerships. In a conference yesterday, Fahmy said the plan includes the construction of four road corridors as well as converting certain roads into freeways. The Cabinet of Ministers has approved the clearing out of an area in Qalyoub for new passenger and cargo transportation projects and the construction of two new train stations in Qalyoub and Minya, revealed Fahmy. He also said there is an agreement between the ministry and the Cairo governorate to simultaneously complete both the first and second phases of the city's third metro line, which will run from the Cairo Airport to the Giza district of Kitkat. A train line will also run between the Bahariya Oases and the 6th October City, and another one between Shubra el-Kheima and the Cairo-Alexandria desert road. The cabinet is currently examining a proposal, submitted by the Finance Ministry, to have a single authority in charge of transportation in Greater Cairo, which is currently run by 22 different ministerial and governmental authorities, added Fahmy. Meanwhile, Minister of Investment Mahmoud Mohieddin said that the public budget does not have sufficient funds for the proposed road improvements, which will require cooperation with the private sector. Translated from the Arabic Edition.
