The step marks progress in one of Cairo’s largest public transport projects, which aims to ease congestion and improve links between Giza, central Cairo, and eastern districts through connections with existing and planned rail lines.
A second machine is scheduled to begin drilling the parallel tunnel in mid-May along the same route from Fustat, the ministry said, marking the start of full tunnelling work in this section.
Phase I of Line 4, being carried out by Egyptian contractors, extends 19 km and includes 17 stations, 16 of which are underground and one at ground level.
The line will run from west of the Ring Road, near 6th of October City, passing the Grand Egyptian Museum, Remaya Square, and Al-Haram Street, to Giza Station, where it will connect with Metro Line 2. It will then link with Line 1 at King El-Saleh and end at Fustat.
Construction is underway at Phase I stations, with four tunnel-boring machines already operating in the first section, two in each direction, digging separate tunnels. One machine has reached the Grand Egyptian Museum Station, another is moving toward the Pyramids Station, while two others have arrived at Madkour and Talbiya stations.
The ministry stated that studies are underway for Phase II, which will extend 26.9 km from Fustat to New Cairo, featuring 21 stations, including six elevated and 15 underground. The route is planned to intersect with the future Line 6 at Sayeda Aisha, connect with the East Nile Monorail at Aviation Station in Nasr City, and continue east to the Ring Road and the Cairo–Suez corridor.
Further expansion phases are also being studied, including Phase III from Hadayek Al-Ashgar to Al-Hosary Square over 16.3 km with 10 stations, and Phase IV extending 38.7 km from New Cairo to the New Capital Airport, where it will connect with the light rail transit (LRT) line.
Cairo Metro Line 4 is a major public transport project aimed at reducing heavy congestion along the busy west–east route linking 6th of October City, Giza, central Cairo, and, in later phases, New Cairo and the New Capital.
The line is particularly significant because it will serve high-traffic areas such as Al-Haram Street and the Grand Egyptian Museum, two of the most congested and strategically important urban and tourism corridors in the country.
It will also serve as a key interchange, connecting to Metro Lines 1 and 2, the planned Line 6, the East Nile Monorail, and the light rail transit (LRT) system.
Egypt has accelerated metro expansion in recent years as part of a broader push to shift commuters away from private cars and informal transport, reduce fuel consumption, and cut urban emissions.
Greater Cairo, home to over 20 million people, faces some of the region’s highest traffic levels, with daily commuting times and transport costs putting pressure on economic productivity.
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