File photo: of Cairo's third metro line. (Photo: Al-Ahram)
Egypt Thursday brought the 20th air-conditioned subway train into operation on Cairo's oldest metro line, state news agency MENA said.
The new addition is the last of 20 of trains that started to come into service in June 2015 as part of a LE2.2 billion ($301.4 million) deal with a Korean firm.
In a city where summer often gets swelteringly hot, conditions can become harsh for some 3.5 million daily passengers in the often crowded cars.
Transport minister Galal Saied said during the launch Thursday that upgrading other trains and stations of the oldest of Cairo's three lines is underway.
The company operating the metro, the Egyptian Company for Metro Management and Operation (ECMMO), said last year it was studying bringing air conditioning to 53 trains already in operation in the first, partly above-ground, line.
A fourth metro line that will connect the capital with neighbouring Giza governorate and Sixth of October City is expected to come into operation in 2019/20, according to government statements.
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