Two years have passed since the inauguration of the LRt light rail project, as it was inaugurated on July 3, 2022, in the presence of President Sisi,
Two years have passed since the inauguration of the LRt light rail project, as it was inaugurated on July 3, 2022, in the presence of President Sisi, the Prime Minister, and Lieutenant General Kamel Al-Wazir, Deputy Prime Minister. The light rail train connects Cairo to the new cities in eastern Cairo, in addition to connecting with the New Administrative Capital and Tenth of Ramadan City.
The light rail has now become the main means of transportation for most residents of the new cities in East Cairo, such as “Obour, Mostakbal, Shorouk, New Heliopolis, Badr, and Rubiki City”, especially after providing parking spaces for passengers to facilitate access to the train stations, in addition to operating mass transit lines that connect the city streets to the train stations, in addition to the advantage of the train meeting the third line of the subway, making it the appropriate and fastest means and the appropriate choice, in addition to linking it in the future with the monorail, the electric rapid train, and the shuttle bus.
The operation of the light rail train made a big difference for the residents of the cities east of Cairo, as many residents left their private cars and resorted to using the train and then the metro, which saved money and effort and greatly reduced congestion.
Youm7 monitored the opinions of the independent public about the train, as Youssef Hassan, one of the train passengers, says that the light train saved a lot of time and money: I work in the capital and I used to suffer to reach the Capital Gardens area every day, but now the train makes it easy to travel every day and saves time and money, and reduces a lot of effort and fatigue in regular transportation.
In turn, Ahmed El-Naggar, an employee at the Ministry of Education, confirmed that he tried all means of transportation to reach the administrative capital, including “a car from Ramses and his own car,” and he found the train less expensive, easier, and less effortful, especially in the summer because it is air-conditioned, noting that he obtained a monthly subscription to save on the ticket price daily.
As for “Ahmed Sayed”, one of the passengers, he works in Badr City, and he used to ride a “microbus” daily from the Salam station, and when he used the electric train he discovered that he saved the effort of riding public transportation daily, in addition to it being faster and cleaner, saying: Its price is reasonable and it saved the need to stand in a line daily to ride public transportation from the Salam station.
Gamal Abdel Samee, a retired employee, called for activating reduced subscriptions for the elderly, similar to the subway subscription, adding that the train is one of the honorable projects for everyone, and has saved almost half the time.
For his part, Eng. Mohamed Khazam, one of the supervisors of the light electric train at the National Authority for Tunnels, affiliated with the Ministry of Transport, revealed the imminent opening of the fourth phase of the light train, which connects the train to the high-speed train station and serves the rest of the districts of the New Administrative Capital and the Sports City. Work is also underway on the stations of the fifth phase of the train, which completes the connection with the Tenth of Ramadan City, which serves a large segment of citizens.
Engineer Mohamed Khazam added to “Youm7” that the train provided a service of linking between means of transportation by meeting with the third metro line, the Super Jet station, and the Cairo-Suez railway train at Adly Mansour station, as well as meeting with the monorail at the Arts and Culture station, and with the fast electric train at the central capital station, in the fourth phase scheduled to be opened soon.
“Khazam” pointed out that the light rail train provides multiple services for the elderly and people with special needs, such as allocating places for wheelchairs equipped with a safety belt to attach the chair, as well as audio and visual alerts and light maps of the stations’ locations, to serve the blind or hearing impaired, and other services to facilitate riding, in addition to linking the train stations to the areas surrounding the stations through mass transit bus lines, with the provision of parking spaces for cars next to the stations.
In turn, Ahmed Awis, Vice President of Customer Service at RATP Dev Cairo Transport Company, which is responsible for managing and operating the third metro line and the LRT, revealed that monthly surveys are conducted to know the opinions of LRT passengers, with the provision of a hotline 19549, in addition to special facilities for people with special needs, such as designated places, elevators and escalators, and providing them with assistance while riding.
Awis added that 99% of the workers in the light rail project are Egyptians, including a large percentage of women and people with disabilities, in addition to expanding the employment of more people with the opening of new phases, noting that the National Authority for Tunnels and the Ministry of Transport supported the subscription for the train to reduce the ticket price, and that the train schedules were modified based on the passengers’ request so that the first train departs at 6:50 am from the Administrative Capital station, with an increase in the number of trains during peak times and a reduction in the time of the flow to ease congestion at the stations.
The Vice President of Customer Service at the company responsible for managing and operating the third metro line and the LRT revealed that the Ministry of Transport seeks to implement a unified card system for riding, so that passengers can ride the train, the metro and a number of public transportation means with a unified ticket.
Awis explained that the prices of the light rail subscriptions are reduced by 50% from the value of daily ride tickets, and the prices of the monthly subscription are (300 pounds per month for 3 stations at a cost of 5 pounds per ticket and a 50% discount, 500 pounds per month for 5 stations at a cost of 8 pounds per ticket and a 47% discount, and 600 pounds per month for more than 7 stations at a cost of 11.5 pounds per ticket and a 42% discount.
The price of the LRT tickets for up to 3 stations is 10 pounds, for up to 7 stations it is 15 pounds, and for more than 7 stations it is 20 pounds. The light train operates daily from 5:30 am to 11:30 pm.
Light rail station in the capital
The train
The high-speed train serves a large segment of citizens.
Light rail provides multiple services.
Conclusion:
The light rail project has made a significant impact on the residents of the new cities in East Cairo, providing a convenient and affordable means of transportation. The project has also provided multiple services for the elderly and people with special needs, and has reduced congestion and pollution in the city.
FAQs:
Q: What is the price of the LRT tickets?
A: The price of the LRT tickets for up to 3 stations is 10 pounds, for up to 7 stations it is 15 pounds, and for more than 7 stations it is 20 pounds.
Q: What are the operating hours of the light train?
A: The light train operates daily from 5:30 am to 11:30 pm.
Q: What are the services provided by the light rail train for the elderly and people with special needs?
A: The light rail train provides multiple services for the elderly and people with special needs, including allocating places for wheelchairs equipped with a safety belt to attach the chair, as well as audio and visual alerts and light maps of the stations’ locations, to serve the blind or hearing impaired, and other services to facilitate riding, in addition to linking the train stations to the areas surrounding the stations through mass transit bus lines, with the provision of parking spaces for cars next to the stations.
Q: What is the unified card system for riding?
A: The Ministry of Transport seeks to implement a unified card system for riding, so that passengers can ride the train, the metro and a number of public transportation means with a unified ticket.
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