Cairo Metro Line 1
Line 1 New Marg - Helwan | |
---|---|
![]() | |
![]() Mar Girgis station | |
Overview | |
Native name | الخط الاول |
Status | Operational |
Owner | National Authority for Tunnels (Egyptian state)[1] |
Locale | Cairo |
Termini | |
Stations | 35[2] |
Service | |
Type | Rapid transit |
System | Cairo Metro |
Operator(s) | Cairo Metro - The Egyptian Co. for Metro Management & Operation[3] |
Daily ridership | 1.3 million (FY 2009/2010)[4] |
History | |
Opened | 1987[5] |
Technical | |
Line length | 44.3 km (27.53 mi)[6] |
Character | Mixed Underground and At-grade street running |
Track gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) |
Electrification | Overhead catenary (1.5 kV DC)[7][8] |
Operating speed | 100 km/h (62 mph) |
Cairo Metro Line 1 is the first line of the Cairo Metro in Cairo, Egypt. It is the first metro system in Africa and the Middle East.[9] It was constructed in 1987 and connects Helwan with El Marg, stopping at 35 stations. Line 1, sometimes called the French-built line or simply the French line has a total length of 44.3 kilometres (27.5 mi) with 4.7 kilometres (2.9 mi) of it being underground[2] and has trains that run with 3 units (9 cars), which have a frequency of 2.5 minutes and a maximum speed of 100 km/h (62 mph).[10] The line can carry 60,000 passengers per hour in each direction.[11]
Costs
[edit]![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/ad/Cairo_Metro_Line_2_Maadi_Jan-2006.jpg/220px-Cairo_Metro_Line_2_Maadi_Jan-2006.jpg)
The Construction of the project started in 1982 after the French government agreed on giving Egypt the necessary loan. The first New Marg - Helwan line costs 1107 million Francs which were converted into Egyptian currency and divided into multiple stages.[12] The total cost of the first stage from Helwan to Ramsis is E£473.9 million divided into the following:
- E£397 million for the tunnel between Saiyeda Senab and Ramsis with a length of 4.7 kilometres (2.9 mi) .[12]
- E£74.5 million for the movement of 60 km different structures and the improvement of the older railways.[13]
- E£2.4 million for the creation of a station in Dar El Salam.[13]
The second stage coasted in total E£499.6 million and connected the (Laymoun Bridge-Marg) railway with the metro.[13] Additional costs were made available as requested by the ministry of transportation:
- E£172.8 million for completing the (Ramsis-Marg) lane.[13]
- E£280 million for the third stage of the (Helwan-Marg) lane.[13]
- E£400 million for the (Shubra el Kheima-Ramsis-El Tahrir) lane[13]
- E£2 million for the preparation study of the second lane Imbaba-El Darasa[13]
Construction
[edit]The construction of the Helwan-El Marg line was in two stages. The first stage was from Helwan to Sayeda Zenab and included a tunnel from Helwan to Ramses Square. First the line from Helwan to Sayeda Zenab, which is 24 kilometres (15 mi) long had the following construction works:
- The isolation of the existing railways and the construction of 9 car bridges and 21 people bridges.[14]
- The construction of 17 rail lane switcher.[14]
- The renovation of the existing railways.[14]
- The production of 882 kilometres (548 mi) of cables which satisfy the needs of the rail way from Helwan to Sayeda Zenab.[15]
Second the line from Helwan to Ramses Square, which would be a subterranean and is 4.5 kilometres (2.8 mi) long. It includes five subterranean stations after the Sayeda Zenab station:
- Saad Zaghloul station
- Sadat station
- Gamal Abdel Nasser station
- Ahmed Orabi station
- Mubarak (now: Al-Shohadaa) station under Ramses Square
The Construction of this line consumed the following resources:
- 117,000 cubic metres (153,000 cu yd) of concrete works.[15]
- 334,550 cubic metres (437,570 cu yd) of digging works.[15]
- 3900 concrete walls[15]
- 3,800 metres (12,500 ft) other digging works.[15]
In 1987 the line from Helwan to Ramses Square was finished and opened for the public.[16] It had a total length of 28.5 kilometres (17.7 mi).
The second stage of the Helwan El Marg line included the construction of a line from Ramses Square to El marg, which would be 14 kilometres (8.7 mi) long.[16] The operation of the line was aimed for 1988,[16] but due to some difficulties it started operation in 1989.[10] The second stage included also:
- The conversion of the Marg line to an electric line.[16]
- The acquisition of 48 new units, which would make 100 units available for operation.[16]
- The improvement of a workstation to provide maintenance works for 204 Units.[16]
- The construction of a 220 kilo-Volt power generator, to provide electricity for the future lines.[16]
Connections
[edit]To other Metro lines
[edit]Line 1 connects to Line 2 at Al-Shohadaa and Sadat stations and with Line 3 at Nasser station.
To other forms of transit
[edit]Shohadaa Station is immediately next to Ramses Station, providing access to Egyptian National Railways long-haul and short-haul domestic passenger service. Cairo Transport Authority buses and private microbus services are also nearby.
Access to Cairo International Airport is expected via transfer to Line 3 upon completion of Phase 4 in early 2020.[17]
Driving Simulator
[edit]A new train driving simulator integrated in Cairo Metro's training center dedicated for Line 1 drivers, which was provided by Transurb Technirail that won the international tender issued by Cairo Metro in December 2011.[18]
Transurb Technirail will provide Cairo Metro with a driving simulator and a computer-assisted learning area to train Line 1 drivers, improving their driving skills and to train them on the elementary functions of the rolling stock and on how to handle malfunctions.[18]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "TWINNING PROJECT FICHE - Assistance to the Egyptian Metro Company (ECM) in Reforming Railway Safety Regulations, Procedures and Practices" (PDF). Retrieved 4 August 2014.
- ^ a b "Line 1". National Authority for Tunnels. Archived from the original on 24 October 2018. Retrieved 24 May 2014.
- ^ "About Company". Cairo Metro. Archived from the original on 17 August 2014. Retrieved 31 July 2014.
- ^ "The Development of Passenger Traffic for The Two metro lines since inauguration (the first 87/88, the second 96/97) Until 2009/2010" (in Arabic). Cairo Metro. Archived from the original on 2012-03-23. Retrieved 2014-08-04.
- ^ "Cairo". metrobits.org. Retrieved 8 August 2014.
- ^ "First Line Working". Cairo Metro The Egyptian Co. for Metro Management and Operation. Archived from the original on 3 May 2015. Retrieved 24 May 2014.
- ^ Barrow, Keith (14 March 2014). "Cairo to order new trains for metro Line 1". International Railway Journal. Simmons-Boardman Publishing Inc. Retrieved 23 January 2015.
- ^ "Cairo Metro Tender for New Rolling Stock". Mena Rail Post. 16 March 2014. Archived from the original on 2015-01-23. Retrieved 23 January 2015.
- ^ "Metro Line 1′s 26th Anniversary". Egyptian Railways Diwan. Archived from the original on 2013-10-05. Retrieved 4 August 2014.
- ^ a b "Greater Cairo Metro Network". Egyptian Tunneling Society. 2007-04-15. Retrieved 2008-10-20.
- ^ Metro Al Anfaq 32
- ^ a b Metro Al Anfaq 22
- ^ a b c d e f g Metro Al Anfaq 23
- ^ a b c Metro Al Anfaq 29
- ^ a b c d e Metro Al Anfaq 30
- ^ a b c d e f g Metro Al Anfaq 31
- ^ "علن موعد انتهاء محطات المرحلة الرابعة بالخط الثالث للمترو". Masrawy. 24 July 2019. Retrieved 7 July 2023.
- ^ a b "Transurb Technirail Wins Contract to Develop a Driving Simulator for Cairo Metro in Egypt". railway-technology.com. Retrieved 8 August 2014.
Works cited
[edit]- Salama, Saiyed (1987). Metro Al Anfaq. Dar Al Maaref. ISBN 977-02-2155-4.[permanent dead link]