Head of the state-run Metro Company Abdalla Fawzy said that despite recurrent interruptions of metro services due to protests, metro passengers have increased by 28 million compared to the year 2011.
Fawzy attributed this rise to frequent fuel shortages as well as traffic congestions. He also said that the low price of metro tickets encourages people to use the metro since passengers can cover a distance as long as 40 km for LE1. Passengers who use buses would pay more, he added.
He also said that the total number of passengers who use the metro have exceeded international rates, with passengers using the Helwan-Marg metro line reaching almost 2 million a day, which is the highest capacity the metro is designed to carry.
Fawzy said passengers who use the metro are likely to hit one billion a year after the third metro line is complete.
To manage the increasing numbers of commuters, He said that to cope for these increasing numbers of commuters, the company is continuously maintaining the two metro lines and added that passengers should also also play a role in preserving it.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
