Egypt: Following criticism and low turnout, Gov. reduces LRT ticket prices

Egypt reduces Light Rail Transit (LRT) ticket prices by 30-40% starting Saturday ahead of new school year, after reports about suspension of LRT operation due to its low turnout and the high ticket prices

In a rare step, the Egyptian government reversed application of the expensive electric light rail transit (LRT) ticket prices, deciding to cut them almost in half after press reports that it had been studying suspension of the train operation due to the low turnout and the high ticket prices.

The Ministry of Transport announced last Thursday lowering the price of light rail transit (LRT) tickets by 30-40 percent starting 17 September amid the advent of the new school year and preparations of various ministries to move to the New Administrative Capital

The ministry also said that it will be issuing 50 percent reduced-fare passes on the LRT to serve the commuters in new cities east of Cairo.

The Rassd News Network tweeted: After complaints about the high price of its tickets, the Ministry of Transport announces reduction in the price of light rail tickets by 30-40%, in addition to reducing the subscription fee by 50% on the way to the New Administrative Capital.

The LRT is a sustainable means of green mass transportation since it runs on electricity, and its carriage can accommodate up to 300 passengers, with a total capacity of 1,300 passengers.

The project serves New Obour, Shorouk, Badr, Mostakbal, 10th of Ramadan, and the New Administrative Capital (NAC).

In July, Sisi inaugurated the first phase of the country’s first LRT and its starting point — the Adly Mansour Interchange Station — which currently connects the New Administrative Capital with the rest of the country’s cities and governorates.

The first stage of the LRT comprises 12 stations, including Adly Mansour, Badr City, the Culture and Arts City in the new capital, and New Obour.

At the time, the ministry announced that rides lasting three stops on the LRT will cost EGP 15, increasing by EGP 5 for every three-stop threshold passed thereafter, with rides lasting 12 stops — the total number of stations that have been finalised out of the 19 — costing EGP 35.

However, a Twitter user called Mohamed Ahmed Ahmed, tweeted, saying: Three projects are completely useless, as they have no economic feasibility or any public benefit:

1) The monorail

2) The high-speed electric train-first line

3) Light Rail Transit

Upon the completion of the three phases of the LRT, the service will cover a distance of 103.3 kilometers with the ability to accommodate up to one million commuters daily through 19 stations connecting several districts nationwide.

The transport ministry has previously noted that a unified ticket will be issued for all means of transportation at Adly Mansour Interchange Station, which includes seven transport modes — namely the Cairo-Suez Railway Line, Cairo Metro’s third line, the LRT, the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) System, and the SuperJet buses that run along three lines nationwide.

In addition to being linked to various means of transportation in Adly Mansour Interchange Station, the LRT will also intersect with Egypt’s under construction monorail at the Arts and Culture Centre Station in the NAC, along with Egypt’s first high-speed electric railway at an interchange station on the Cairo-Sokhna Highway.