Egypt's Transport Ministry opened on Saturday morning the opening of three new metro stations- Haroun El-Rashid, El-Shams Club, and Alf Maskan- as part of the fourth phase of the third line of the Cairo metro line system. The ministry said in a statement that the new stations – as well as all the other stations along Cairo's three metro lines – have seen an organised flow of passengers on Saturday. The opening of the three new stations comes less than one week before the kickoff of the 2019 African Cup of Nations (2019 AFCON) in Cairo and three other Egyptian cities. Passengers have praised the level of service provided at the new stations, the ministry added. The ministry thanked the passengers for their understanding of the decision of the Egyptian Company for Metro Management and Operation (ECMCO) to raise fares on Cairo's third metro line starting Saturday. It also thanked the passengers for their large turnout to acquire fare subscriptions. The third metro line, which started operation in 2012, now extends from Attaba Square in central Cairo to the outskirts of Heliopolis in east Cairo. Egypt's transport ministry had announced on Friday that the fares on the third metro line would increase from EGP 3-7 to EGP 5-10 coinciding with the opening of the three new stations. Rides of up to nine stops on the third metro line will now cost EGP 5, rides of 6-15 stops will be priced at EGP 7, and rides of 16 stops or more will cost EGP 10. The existing prices of subscriptions of EGP 33 for students for 25 stations, EGP 22 for 25 stations for people with disabilities, and EGP 135 for 35 stations for the elderly remain unchanged. There will be no increase in the prices of tickets on the other two metro lines in the system, the ministry said. The ministry explained that the new third line stations will feature air-conditioned and pollution-free trains and stations with elevators and escalators for the elderly and electronic display screens giving updates on train arrival times. The ministry explained that the new stations will help ease the process of transport for a large number of fans attending the 2019 AFCON games from Heliopolis to a number of stadiums hosting the games in the Greater Cairo area, including Cairo International Stadium, El-Salam Stadium and 30 June Stadium. Source: Aham Online
