Egypt's President Adly Mansour and Prime Minister Ibrahim Mahlab are due to inaugurate the second phase of Cairo's underground third line will be opened today. The new phase –around 7.7 kilometers long –contains four tunnel stations (Cairo's exhibition, Stadium, Koleyet Al-Banat and Al-Ahram) and will link between Abbasiya and the northeastern suburb of Heliopolis. The new route –which was due to be completed in 2013 –will be operated through seven air-conditioned and Egypt-manufactured trains, according to previous statements by Transportation Minister Ibrahim El-Demeiri. He added that the whole phase is worth EGP 4.3 billion and will transport around 600,000 passengers per day along with the first phase, which links two of Cairo busiest squares: Atatba, just south of downtown, and Abbasiya, several kilometres to the northeast. In September 2012, Egypt's government agreed 940 million euros ($1.2bn) worth of loans with the French Development Agency and the European Investment Bank to help fund an extension to Cairo's third Metro line (The third phase). The European Investment Bank (EIB) has contributed 600 million euros ($779.4 million) to be repaid over 25 years within the same grace period. When complete, Cairo's third metro line will stretch 43.5 kilometres from Cairo airport to Imbaba in Giza. The third phase of the line will be 18 km in length and include 15 stations, according to the ministry statement. A fourth line is due to be completed by 2019.
