CAIRO - Ramses Square is made up of several ill-connected areas, and Cairo Governor Abdul Azeim Wazeir has decided to develop it and turn it into a landmark of the capital while ignoring citizens' sufferings. The plan is based on completely emptying Ramses Square including the main railway station. Trains from Lower Egypt will terminate at Qaliub Station, Qaliubiya Governorate, and trains from Upper Egypt at Moneib Station, Giza Governorate. According to the plan, a metro station will be built in Qaliub to facilitate the movement of passengers who want to reach the town centre. The plan also intends to empty the main Ramses Railway Station to conserve the features of the building, distinguished by a unique architectural style that combines Oriental and Western elements. The plan is meeting difficulties and obstacles and won't be implemented for the time being. The same results could be reached without incurring such high costs and by choosing an alternative approach. Planning and transport experts have asserted that the Governor's plan contains good ideas, while alternatives also need to be considered. Ahmed Baiumi, professor of planning and transport, Zagazig University, pointed out that some parts of the Ramses Square development plan are difficult to realise. Firstly, Qaliub and Moneib train terminals couldn't accommodate the large number of trains that end their daily trips at Ramses Station. Secondly, the number of daily train passengers amounts to 500,000 to 700,000. Thirdly, it is quite problematic to enlarge the Qaliub and Moneib stations. Baiumi stressed that it is too difficult to build an underground metro terminal adjacent to Qaliub Railway Station and the outcome would be catastrophic for the inhabitants of Qaliub. If on the other hand the metro station was built away from the train station it would make it much harder for the passengers. He noted that restoration of Ramses Station to its former glory should include the removal of all flyovers in the vicinity. Pedestrian tunnels could be built to accommodate the crowds. Many citizens have refused the Governor's plan and prefer Ramses Station as a main terminal. Civil servant Khaled Ebeid was of the opinion that Ramses Station and Square were so overcrowded that trains from Upper Egypt should terminate at Moneib Station, and that many passengers actually don't want to travel as far as Ramses Station. Employee Allam Eddin told Al-Akhbar newspaper that the Governor's plan needs to be reconsidered, but that he was against trains from Upper Egypt ending in Giza because it would cause further suffering for the passengers. Mohamed Ahmed thought that the plan was not convincing and preferred to leave everything as it was. Teacher Karam Abd el-Reheim stressed that change and development are required, but hopefully not by creating more trouble and problems for the passengers. He was against moving train terminals from Ramses Station to Giza and Qaliub. Ali Ibrahim, an employee at the Transport Authority, did not want the plan to be carried out because the distance between Cairo and Qaliub is too big. He thought it would be difficult to get into town if trains terminated in Qaliub. Ahmed Amin felt that train tickets should be cheaper and more attention to train maintenance and timetables should be paid. Tharwat Abdou agreed with the Governor's plan, because the situation at Ramses Square has become unbearable due to overcrowding and traffic chaos.
