The Cairo Monorail (Egyptian ) is a partly operational two-line monorail rapid transit system in the Greater Cairo metropolitan area and is projected to become the longest driverless monorail system in the world when completed. The two lines will create the first public transport from The New Capital and 6th of October to Cairo when completed. Travel time for the 53km East Nile Line between the New Administrative Capital and eastern Cairo is about 60 minutes, while the 42km West Nile line connecting 6th of October with Giza is expected to be about 42 minutes.
The East Nile Line was inaugurated on March 20, 2026, while passenger service began on May 6, 2026.Cairo elevated monorail starts passenger service Tramways & Urban Transit issue 1063 July 2026 page 245
Background
The Cairo Monorail was first conceptualized in the late 2010s to combat the rise of traffic in the Greater Cairo area, and to provide a rapid transportation option for suburban residents. The Monorail was also thought of as a rail link between Cairo and Egypt's The New Capital. The Monorail has also been chosen to use renewable resources, to cause less pollution and to be a zero emissions form of transit. The monorail is also automated, meaning it does not require a driver for operations.
Funding Funding for the project was secured and obtained through a mix of local and international investments. This included a substantial loan facilitation agreement between the National Authority for Tunnels and JPMorgan Chase, as well as contributions from other financial institutions such as the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and the European Investment Bank. The total funding amounted to approximately 4.5 billion euros.
Design and operation In August 2019, it was announced Alstom, would lead a consortium that included Arab Contractors and Orascom. The consortium signed a 2.7 billion euro contract to design, construct, operate, and maintain the two monorail lines. Upon completion of the construction phase, the consortium will provide 30 years of operation and maintenance services for both lines.The Monorail story for greater Cairo Alstom
Opening The East Nile line was expected to first open to the public in 2023, however was delayed to October 2024, before being further delayed to mid-2025. The initial trial operations ran from the control center at the New Administrative Capital to the Moshir Mosque Station.
The East Nile Line was inaugurated on March 20, 2026, while passenger service began on May 6, 2026.
Routes The two lines connect to Cairo Metro Line 3, but are not directly connected to each other.
East Nile line Construction on this line began in 2019 and was initially scheduled for completion in May 2022. However, the completion date was postponed to October 2023, with operations expected to start in April 2024. By January 2026, trial operation was underway, with passenger operations starting on March 20, 2026. The line was open to the public on May 6, 2026.
The line is long, with 22 stations starting with Stadium and terminating at Justice City.
The line provides as a transfer to the Cairo Metro Line 3 at its terminus in Stadium station. It is also connected to the Cairo LRT at the Arts and Culture City station of the LRT.
Stations +Station NumberNameAreaConnectionsLandmarks1Cairo Staduim (إستاد القاهره)Nasr CityCairo Metro Line 3Cairo Staduim2Hesham Barakat (هشام بركات)Nasr City3Al Azhar University (جامعة الازهر)Nasr CityAl Azhar University47th District (الحي السابع)Nasr City5Marshal Ahmed Ismail (المشير احمد اسماعيل)Nasr City6Jehan Sadat (جيهان السادات)Nasr City7Marshal Tantawi (المشير طنطاوي)Nasr CityEl-Mosheer Tantawy Mosque8One Ninety (وان نانتي)New CairoRing Road - New Cairo9Air Force Hospital (المستشفي الجوي)New CairoAir Force Specialized Hospital10El-Nargus (النرجس)New CairoEl-Nargus area, New Cairo11Investors (المستثمرين)New CairoInvestors Area, New Cairo12Al-Lotus (اللوتس)New CairoAl-Lotus Area, New Cairo13Golden Square (جولدن سكوير)New Cairo14Biet El-Watan (بيت وطن)New Cairo15Al-Fattah al-Aleem Mosque (مسجد الفتاح العليم)New CapitalAl-Fattah al-Aleem Mosque16R1 (حي R1)New CapitalGreen River17R2 (حي R2)New CapitalCentral Park18Central Business District (CBD) منطقة الأعمال) (المركزيةNew CapitalIconic Tower 19Arts & Culture City (مدينة الفنون والثقافة)New CapitalCairo LRTArts & Culture City, New Capital Opera House20Government District (الحي الحكومي)New Capital21Misr Mosque (مسجد مصر)New CapitalMisr Mosque22Justice City (مدينة العدالة)New CapitalAdministrative Control Authority
West Nile line Work on the October Line started in January 2020, and was projected to begin operating in mid 2023. However work on it has been delayed due to difficulties in expropriating land for the project, pushing the operational date to October 2024. It's currently further delayed, with no estimated operation date.
The line will be long, with 13 stations starting with New October Station, Industrial Zone Station, Sadat Station, Sixth of October City Authority Station, Engineers Association Station, Nile University Station, Hyper One station, Cairo-Alexandria Desert Road, Mansouriya Station, Mariouteya Station, Ring Road Station, Bashteel railway station, and terminating at Nile Valley Station.
The line will provide a transfer to the Cairo Metro Line 3 at Wadi El Nile Station, part of the line's eastern expansion plans.
Rolling stock
Cairo Monorail is set to use 70 fully automated Alstom Innovia Monorail 300 vehicles for both lines. The vehicles are four cars long and were manufactured at Alstom's Derby Litchurch Lane Works factory in Derby, England.From Derby to the Pyramids The Railway Magazine issue 1457 August 2022 pages 18-20
The Innovia 300 Monorail system incorporates Alstom's Cityflo 650 CBTC system, which uses radio communication and moving block technology to manage train operations.
See also Cairo Metro Cairo Bus Rapid Transit Cairo Light Rail Transit Urban rail transit in Africa List of monorail systems
References