Egypt reopens Third Metro Line Partially

Cairo’s newly-launched third underground line partially resumed operations on Monday, a day after an accident provoked its total closure, a spokesperson for the underground authority has told state news agency MENA.

Ahmed Abdel-Hady said that trains would be running again between the Ataba and Abdo Basha stations, and between the Al-Ahram and Ard El-Maared stations. No trains however would drive through the Abbassiya station, where the accident took place.

On Sunday, a train derailed and crashed into a wall in the vicity of the station, seriously injuring its driver.

The metro line, which links Attaba Square in downtown Cairo to the upscale district of Heliopolis, carried no passengers at the time of the crash, the company running the metro said. The train was returning from maintenance on a secondary line, and crashed while joining the main line. The cost of the crash has yet to be estimated.

At least 3.5 million people use the metro on a daily basis in Egypt’s capital, according to Egypt’s State Information Service.

Metro transportation is one of the fastest and cheapest means of transportation in Cairo. A ticket costs EGP 1, which is equivalent to US13 cents.

Source: Ahram Online