Egypt possesses an efficient overland, maritime and air transport network that joins Egypt's cities, villages and governorates on the one hand and Egypt with the whole world on the other. The transport sector plays an outstanding role in accomplishing the state strategy of moving the population away from the old valley and increasing horizontal expansion by providing modern express transport networks that serve urban, agricultural, tourist and cultural development plans.

 

 

The state gives due attention to developing different transport means to realize the best express passengers, and cargo transport movement.

 

 

Total investments for land and air transport reached LE 5.8 billion, i.e. 8.2 percent of total investments of which public-sector investments show about LE 2.1 billion public investments accounting for 36 percent and public enterprise and private sectors about LE 3.7 billion accounting for 64 percent.

 

 

Volume of cargo transported in Egypt annually shows 320 million tons, of which 300 million tons are transported by land transport (cars and trucks) (94 percent), and 2 million tons by fluvial transport (0.07 percent). During 2002, volume of transported cargo reached 312.8 million tons.

 

 

 

The Egyptian railways are considered one of the oldest track services in the world; the second in the world next to England. In 1851, a 209-km-long railway line between Cairo and Alexandria was erected.

 

This was followed by Cairo-Suez railway line and the rest of other railway lines. Egypt's railways extend to a length of 9.455 km. In Egypt, railways play a principal role in the passenger and cargo transport market, with a trip/year share of more than 460 million trip/year-excluding the underground metro passengers, accounting for more than 35 percent of the total passenger/km and 1.4 million passenger/day.

 

Moreover, railways transport 12 million tons of cargo every year; 8 percent of the total km/ton capacity. Railway network operates 1210 train/day, providing 630,000 seat/day. Egypt Railway Authority (ERA) has 3,100 plain and air-conditioned passenger coaches, in addition to 10,600 cargo carriages and 761 locomotives.

 

 

Under the 5-year plan, an appropriation of LE 1400 million was approved for ERA investments to complete a number of projects, including the production of 400 new upgraded coaches. Besides, 600 regular coaches and 4 main workshops for maintaining various makes of engines, tractors, and coaches are being upgraded at a cost of LE 340 million.

 

 

The 65.5 km-long underground metro network links three governorates; Cairo, Giza, and Qalyoubia. The network comprises two lines; Helwan-El-Marg and Shubra-El-Kheima-Mouneeb, and both transport 1.8 million passenger/day. Number of operating locomotives reached about 900 trip/day.

 

 

 

Roads network extends all over Egypt's area, linking all the governorates over a length of more than 45.5 thousand km.

 

 

-         The 980-m-long, 24-m-wide Aswan's cable-stayed bridge across the Nile was opened at a cost of LE 105 million. The bridge will help promote tourism into the area and link Aswan with mega national projects in Toshka and East Owainat.

-         The new Mostorod flyover across Ismailia Canal, linking Cairo with governorates in the north was completed at a cost of LE 45 million.

-         Qaha flyover along the Cairo-Alexandria agricultural road was completed at a cost of LE 6 million.

 

 

Land outlets in Saloum, Rafah, Taba and Al-Oaga were completed, upgraded and provided with services and facilities such as necessary security, modern monitoring cameras and toll collection equipment, together with necessary commercial activities.

 

 

River Nile plays a main role in the tourism and transport movement. Waterways in Egypt run over about 35,000 km.

 

Investments in river transport in 2003 showed LE 135 million.

 

 

Maritime transport is one of the most important sectors that tremendously affect national economy.

 

It particularly facilitates cross-border flows of various commodities and merchandise among countries. Sea ports are Egypt's window to and link with the world. Ports are of great economic importance to Egypt in view of the various activities involved in and their direct effect on trade and economic returns to Egypt re-gionally and internationally. Investments in maritime transport in 2002/03 reached about LE 503.8 million. Egyptian ports on Red Sea, the Mediterranean Sea, and al-Aqaba Gulf amount to 40 sea-ports. Number of passengers transported from and to Egyptian sea-ports showed 2.646 million in 2002/03. About 10,449,000 tons of cargo were transported. The combined capacity of the Egyptian harbours reached 2 million containers.

 

Containers handled in the Egyptian ports in 2002/03 showed about 3,853.

 

 

Air transport in Egypt is an important element in economic development in its broader context, given its direct impact on tourism, export and urban development programmes. Besides, it links inland regions with each other and the outside world. Egypt is a pioneer of air transport in the Arab region and the Middle East. The first air line in Egypt began in 1932 by establishing the then named “Misr Air”. Egypt Air now reaches out to almost all parts of the world, i.e. to 72 world cities and capitals in addition to 12 Egyptian cities.

 

In 2002/03, the number of passengers travelling via Cairo Air-port reached 8.7 million and 5.8 million travelling through other airports.

 

 

Investments in airports during the years 2002-2004 reached about LE 570 million.

 

 

Centrally located, the Suez Canal links east to west. As a major artery of world trade, it plays a pivotal role in enhancing prosperity and economic and commercial cooperation among countries.

 

It figures out as the fourth tributary of Egypt's balance of payments.

 

 

Over the past fiscal year 2002/03, Suez Canal yielded its highest revenues; i.e. US Dollar 2.608 billion. This is attributed to the flexible pricing policy adopted by the Suez Canal Authority (SCA), thus making it the cheapest international water way.

 

Evolution of Quantitative Achievements in Air and Land Transport in 2003/04 Plan Against 2002/03·

Statement	2002/03	2003/04	Growth rate
Railways:
Passenger/km (million)	46185	76090	1490
Ton/km (million)	38444	4758	128
Railways length (km)	9432	9467	35
Roads:
Passenger/km (million)	113570	115845	2275
Ton/km (million)	41450	43110	1660
River transport ton/km (million)	2309	2375	66
Pipelines transport (million tons)	6489	6680	191
Length of macadamized roads (1000/km)	45.5	46.0	0.5
Number of bridges across the Nile	24	24	0
Maritime Transport:
Thousand passengers	627	659	32
Thousand tons	10449	11077	628
Sea ports capacity (million tons)	66.8	66.8	0
Air Transport:
Thousand km (million)	6740	7145	405
Ton/km (million)	270	285	15
Number of planes	35	40	5
Cairo Airport
Number of planes (1000)	84.4	87.8	3.4
Passengers (million)	8.7	9.0	0.3
Other airports (1000)	74.5	77.5	3
Passengers (million)	5.8	6.0	0.2
Suez Canal:
Number of vessels	14200	14156	44
Net tonnage (million tons)	450	456.4	6.4

 

 

The state has given increasing attention to information and telecommunication technology industry as a means to serve development goals. This attention is exemplified in the National Project for Technological Promotion, which coincided with the creation of a specialized ministry concerned with information and telecommuni-cation affairs as a main step to launch this project.

 

 

In recent years, for building on a robust telecommunication infrastructure, Egypt has made tangible progress in the field of telecommunication technology represented in information super highways.

 

The Ministry of Telecommunication and Information exerts great efforts to spread modern telecommunication services all over the country. Telephone lines have shown 10.9 million, international telephone circuits 12,500 with telephone density showing 12 percent.

 

 

The Ministry of Information and Telecommunication began implementing this project on November 21, 2002. Any fixed-line subscriber can apply for a personal computer and pay back in monthly installments without any guarantee. Number of sold PCs reached 28,907.

 

 

In 2002, the investments of the Egyptian Telecommunications Company (Telecom Egypt) reached LE 3.880 billion.

 

 

-         The e-government is an advanced system designed to promote quality and efficiency of the performance of economic and government bodies, companies and banks. It also aims at providing high-standard service to citizens directly without bureaucratic hurdles. Thus, any citizen can anytime obtain needed service at his home.

-         The state aims at streamlining procedures for government services needed by citizens by using telecommunications and information technology. It also aims at providing services as soon as needed to everybody wherever he is. This approach will ultimately improve the government performance and provide information to support decision-making. In this vein, it is the government plan to make all government services available on the Internet over 5 years, by the end of the current 5-year plan 2002-2007.

 

 

Egypt's entry into the telecommunication and information age is a national responsibility that is jointly shouldered by the research, educational and production institutions in Egypt in order to ensure successful transition to a knowledge-based society that keeps abreast of the time.

 

 

The Smart Village was established on an area of 300 feddans along the Cairo-Alexandria Desert Road in Abu-Rawwash area. Created under Presidential Decree No. 355 of 2000, the Smart Village, meant to be a base for information technology industry, was opened in September, 2003.

 

The Village aims at creating an enabling technological environment for enhancing IT production such as software industry, Internet and information and consulting services, in addition to assembling PCs and peripherals. Included also are training in information and telecommunication technology and commercial activities related to information and telecommunication.

 

Three more villages will be set up in future at Al-Shorouq, Alexandria and Upper Egypt.

 

The Smart Village company, with a capital of LE 100 million, of which the private sector contributes LE 80 million, was established to build and develop the first smart village.

 

 

-         Number of post offices rose to 3289 offices, registered mail service offices to 363 offices, automated post offices to 115, automated post directorates to 27.

-         In 2001/02, volume of funds circulated through all postal services reached LE 64.5 billion.

-         In 2001/02, parcel clearing fees reached LE 23.2 million, revenues of postal printing houses rose to LE 21.8 million, and stamp sales to LE 97.7 million. The Postal Authority showed a surplus of LE 46 million.

 

According to the world rating of the average mail transport time between Egypt and the outside world, Egypt was classified into the first category.

 

Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) was introduced, thus providing secure exchange of electronic documents among users via the central EDI switch at the Postal Authority. It can be used in various applications such as E-business, E-commerce and E-government systems.