The new project will power all train cars on the decades-old line with electricity and add more stations from Abu Qir in the east of the city to the central Misr Railway Station in downtown Alexandria.

Upon completion, the expanded Abu Qir line will run along 43.2 kilometers through 20 stations inside the city at a speed of 100km per hour instead of the current 25 m per hour, according to Minister of Transport Kamel El-Wazir.

The safer and environmentally friendly new line will help the historic local tram system in easing persistent traffic congestions that have slowed down travel for the five-million and growing population of Alexandria.

It will transport 60,000 passengers per hour in both directions with trips from start to end taking 25 minutes instead of 50 minutes.

Stations in Mamoura in the east and Misr Railway Station in the centre will be developed into significant interchange points for switching trains to travel from one part of Alexandria to the other.

The revamped and expanded line will also connect Borg Al-Arab southwest of the city and New Abu Qir City east of the city to the new cross-country electric train corridor, which will connect Alamein in the northwest of the country to Sokna in the southeast on the Red Sea.

Egypt is financing the new project through various international grants and loans.