The spate of rail thefts continues, prompted by desperation among certain sections of society and easy access to the source, if a railway track runs through your village or district. This recalls the lazy decision last month by Cairo transport chiefs to simply bury miles of the Nuhas Street tram tracks under hardcore and tarmac. If salvaged and...Read More

In response to a question from a reader about the Suez Canal bridge, I unearthed 2 recent reports here and here from el-Masry el-Youm, both dated 24th October 2013 and by Izzat Maghazi. They relate the sad fate of the Ismailiya-Rafah (Cairo-Jersusalem) line through its destruction and rebuilding more than once during the 20th century...Read More

Sunday’s public holiday to commemorate the 40th Anniversary of Egypt’s war with Israel (6th October) saw some security incidents and casualties including fatalities, but the media noted the railways remained unaffected: Extremely tight security cordons sealed off Cairo Central on 6th October to prevent any attempt to gain access to the station. Elsewhere no infringements or acts...Read More