The fare increase comes as part of the Ministry of Transport’s efforts to sustain railway operations and continue a wide-ranging modernization programme across the national rail network.
The sources said the new fares, which were officially approved before taking effect at the start of Wednesday, apply to different types of trains and routes, taking into account service categories and travel distances.
First- and second-class air-conditioned train tickets increased by 12.5 percent across various services, with ticket values rounded to the nearest EGP 10.
Third-class fares increased by the same percentage, with ticket values rounded to the nearest EGP 5, the source added.
The decision also included a 25 percent increase in fares for “Tahya Misr” trains. Under a new rounding mechanism, tickets for journeys ranging from one kilometre to 103 kilometres will be rounded to the nearest pound, while fares for trips exceeding 104 kilometres will be rounded to the nearest EGP 5.
The source attributed the fare increase to rising operating costs, including higher fuel and electricity prices, increased costs of spare parts and maintenance supplies, and periodic wage increases for railway workers.
The fare adjustment comes alongside an ongoing plan to upgrade Egypt’s railway system, including infrastructure improvements, modernized signalling and communications systems, new locomotives and passenger carriages, and upgrades to stations and workshops.
The source said the development efforts have contributed to improving safety and security standards, enhancing service quality, and increasing the regularity of train operations.
Egypt’s latest train fare increase comes amid a broader push to reduce the financial burden on the railway system, which officials say has been strained by higher fuel, electricity, spare parts, maintenance, and wage costs.
In March, the Ministry of Transport also raised train ticket prices and some Cairo Metro fares, citing the need to cover operating expenses and the impact of rising petroleum and electricity costs on the ENR and the National Authority for Tunnels.
The new increase also comes as Egypt continues one of its largest railway modernization programmes in decades.
ENR Chairman Mohamed Amer said in June that daily passenger numbers on Egypt’s rail network had risen to around 1.2 million, up from 700,000, while Eid Al-Adha ridership peaked at about 1.6 million passengers per day.
As part of the upgrade plan, the railway authority has added 210 locomotives, six Talgo trains, and 1,066 passenger carriages, while modernizing 300 of its 708 stations, renewing 2,000 kilometres of track across the 10,000-kilometre network, and replacing 400 railway switches, according to Amer.
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