Egypt is accelerating the development of its Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system around Greater Cairo and the expansion of the Cairo Metro's Line 4, aiming to complete key phases before the scheduled opening of the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM) on July 3rd. Minister of Industry, Transport and Deputy Prime Minister for Industrial Development Kamel Al-Wazir, along with the Governor of Cairo and transport officials, inspected the progress of the BRT project and the Metro Line 4 stations near the Grand Egyptian Museum. The first phase of the BRT project, comprising 14 stations, is nearing completion. These stations include Adly Mansour (a non-standard station), two surface stations on pedestrian bridges (Behtim and Police Academy), and 11 surface stations in pedestrian tunnels (Alexandria Agricultural Road, El-Sharkawia, Shobra Benha, Mostorod, El-Khosous, El-Marg, El-Qalj, Moassaset El-Zakat, El-Fariq Ibrahim El-Arabi, El-Salam, and Suez Road). The entire BRT project will consist of 48 stations across three phases. Al-Wazir reviewed the BRT system's operation, including connections between stations and existing stops under the ring road, access for passengers via pedestrian bridges and tunnels, waiting areas, ticketing methods, and electronic gates. He emphasised the organisation of pedestrian traffic from the Adly Mansour BRT station to the Adly Mansour central interchange to facilitate access to the Light Rail Transit (LRT), Metro Line 3, the Adly Mansour-Suez railway line, and the Superjet bus stop. The first and second phases of the BRT project will operate 100 locally produced electric buses, each with a capacity of 66 passengers, transporting 3,200 passengers per hour in both directions. El-Wazir noted that the buses are manufactured locally, aligning with President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi's directives to localise various industries, including bus manufacturing. The frequency of buses will be 3 minutes, equivalent to 20 buses per hour, decreasing to 1.5 minutes during peak hours. Al-Wazir stated that the BRT represents a civilised mode of transportation that is environmentally friendly and will ease traffic congestion on the ring road. It aims to eliminate informal stops on the ring road and encourage the use of public transport instead of private vehicles. The electric buses will provide high levels of service while reducing emissions. The project will connect major intersections on the ring road, such as the Suez intersection, Adly Mansour intersection, El-Marg intersection, and Mostorod intersection, linking the east and west of Cairo and providing a fast, modern, and clean connection to the New Administrative Capital, integrated with other modes of transport. It will connect with Metro Line 1 at El-Zahraa and El-Marg stations, Metro Line 3 at Adly Mansour and Imbaba stations, and the LRT at Adly Mansour station. Al-Wazir inspected progress on the second phase of the project, which includes 21 stations between Al-Moshir Tantawy and the Fayoum intersection, including three stations on the Mariouteya axis (Haram, King Faisal, and Tersa) and the Grand Egyptian Museum station (Alexandria Desert Road). He directed officials to complete all stations in the second phase by May 30th. The Minister also followed up on the progress of the second phase of the ring road development project, which includes the section from the ring road's intersection with the Alexandria Agricultural Road to its intersection with the Alexandria Desert Road, passing over the Warraq Bridge. A new 2.25 km bridge is being constructed alongside the existing bridge, expanding the road to eight lanes in each direction. Maintenance and rehabilitation work on the 9D bridge has been completed and it has been reopened to traffic. Work is also progressing on the Alexandria Desert Road/Oasis connection and Mariouteya/Mansuriya sections, totaling 34 km. Construction of new traffic axes to facilitate access to the ring road is underway, such as the El-Marg axis intersection with the ring road, the railway axis (Algiers Street), and the first phase of the Mariouteya axis, which connects the ring road to the Middle Ring Road. Al-Wazir also monitored the construction of the surface service road, which is 10 meters wide around the ring road, and the Intelligent Transportation System (ITS), which aims to enhance road safety. Separately, Al-Wazir and the Governor of Giza inspected the first phase of Metro Line 4, which has an overall completion rate of 34.2%. Construction is underway on stations and tunnelling works, with 64.2% of tunnelling completed. The stations near the Grand Egyptian Museum (Grand Museum, Shooting, and Pyramids) have completion rates of 52.8%, 50.2%, and 41.3%, respectively. Reinstatement work in the area around the museum is 87% complete, and these three stations will be finished from the surface before the museum's opening. The second phase of Metro Line 4, extending 31.8 km with 21 stations, is under study. It will intersect with Metro Line 6 at the Sayeda Aisha station and connect with the East Nile Monorail at the Aviation station. A future branch to Cairo International Airport is planned. Al-Wazir emphasised the importance of completing the Metro Line 4 project on schedule, as it will connect 6th of October City and New Cairo to the metro network, serving densely populated areas. The line is expected to transport approximately 1.5 million passengers daily upon completion. The first phase of Metro Line 4, being implemented by Egyptian construction companies, extends 19 km and includes 17 stations from the west of the ring road to the Fustat station in Old Cairo.
