The Egyptian Transport Ministry signed an MoU on Monday with a consortium led by the French company Transdev to prepare technical and economic feasibility studies for the establishment of a bus rapid transit (BRT) system on Cairo’s Ring Road.
Egyptian national companies Orascom, Mwasalat Misr, and MCV will also be involved in the development of this project.
The studies will include mobile units, stations, electronic ticketing system, trip information, pedestrian crossing places, waiting at stations, and integration with the rest of the means of transport in Egypt.
Transport Minister Kamel al-Wazir said that this MOU comes within the framework of President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi’s directive to modernize Egypt’s transportation system and networks.
BRT buses will run for the first time on the Ring Road around Greater Cairo, which is considered the most important traffic axis in Greater Cairo, with nearly 213,000 cars traveling on it each day.
Wazir pointed out to the importance of quickly completing the studies, in order to speed up the project’s implementation.
He added that there will be an increased demand for transportation as the government shifts most of its facilities the the New Administrative Capital.
This project will ideally be integrated with the already existing transportation network, and linked with other current and future means of transport such as buses, monorail, metro, railway lines and LRT, he said.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
