File photo: Image of the first monorail train on its tracks at the East line state in the New Administrative Capital on Wednesday 6 October, 2021. Photo courtesy of Egyptian ministry of transportation Facebook page.
The closure is necessary to advance construction of the second phase of Nile Valley station – part of the west line of the country's monorail project, the statement explained.
As a result, a 150-metre stretch between Lebanon Square and the 15th of May Bridge will be affected.
The statement noted that this section would be off traffic limits until the completion of the project; however, the exact duration of the closure was not specified.
The multi-kilometre 26th of July Road connects the Mohandessin district and the 6th of October City.
Drivers can bypass the closure using the service road alongside the 26th of July Road.
The governorate provided instructions for drivers who used to use this route as follows:
- Vehicles coming from Lebanon Square and 6th of October City and heading towards the 15th of May Bridge and the Zamalek Club should turn right onto an adjacent road until they re-enter – having circumvented the station's construction site – to the 26th of July Road and from there to the 15th of May Bridge and Sphinx Square.
- Vehicles coming from the 15th of May Bridge and the Tersana Club and heading towards Lebanon Square and the 6th of October City should continue driving towards an adjacent road until a designated exit point, where they can return to the 26th of July Road and from there to Lebanon Square and the beginning of the 26th of July Road.
In September, nearly a 400-metre segment of the same road was closed in both directions for six months to facilitate the construction of the first phase of the monorail’s Nile Valley station.
Egypt’s first, two-line monorail extends for almost 100 km – making it the longest monorail network in the world.
The project links Cairo, New Cairo’s Fifth Settlement, the New Administrative Capital, and the 6th of October City.
The East Nile Line – or the New Administrative Capital Line – connects the administrative capital to New Cairo’s Fifth Settlement and Cairo’s Nasr City district via 22 stations extending over 56.5 km.
The West Nile Line – known as the 6th of October Line – links the 6th of October City to the Arab League headquarters in downtown Cairo via 12 stations extending over 42 km.
Running on electricity instead of diesel, the monorail is one of Egypt’s various means of green transportation, alongside the light rail transit (LRT), the high-speed electric train, and the bus rapid transit (BRT) system.
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