Cairo Metro Line 3

Line 3 Cairo Int. Airport - Imbaba
Overview
Native name	الخط الثالث
Type	Rapid transit
System	Cairo Metro
Status	Partly Opened, Partly Under Construction
Locale	Cairo
Termini	Imbaba Airport
Stations	9
Daily ridership	750 thousands (2014)[1]
Operation
Opened	2012
Owner	National Authority for Tunnels (Egyptian state)[2]
Operator(s)	Cairo Metro - The Egyptian Co. for Metro Management & Operation[3]
Character	Underground subway
Technical
Line length	11.5 km (7.1 mi)
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in)
Electrification	third rail
Operating speed	100 km/h (62 mph)
Route map Legend Rod Al-Farag Corridor Ring Road Al-Kawmeiah Al-Bohy Imbaba Sudan Cairo University  2  Bolak Al-Dakror Gamaet Al-Dowal Wadi Al-Nile Al-Tawfikya Kit Kat Nile River Zamalek Nile River Maspero Nasser  1  Ataba  2  Bab El Shaaria El Geish Abdou Pasha Abbassia Workshop (minor overhaul) Fair Zone Cairo Stadium Koleyet El Banat Al Ahram Haroun Al-Hegaz Square Al-Hegaz 2 Military Academy Sheraton Airport Heliopolis Square Alf Maskan Al-Shams Club Al-Nozha 1 Al-Nozha 2 Kebaa Omar ibn Al-khattab Hikestep Adly Mansour Workshop (major overhaul)

Cairo Metro Line 3 is a main line of the Cairo Metro mass transit system in Greater Cairo, Egypt.

Currently, the line connects Attaba in east-central Cairo with Abbasia and Heliopolis to the northeast. The line will eventually extend from the northwest of the Greater Cairo area at Imbaba to the northeast serving Cairo International Airport. The line will cross the River Nile twice at the western branch between Kit Kat and Zamalek and the eastern branch between Zamalek and downtown Cairo.^[4] The total length of the line will be approximately 30.6 km of which 28.1 km is an underground section and the rest of the line about 2.5 km shall be on grade^[4] and will be implemented in four phases. The project includes a main workshop adjacent to the western terminal of the line and a light repair workshop at the middle of the line at Abbassia.^[5] The line will use trains manufactured in Japan by Kinki Sharyo Co. and Toshiba Corp.^[6]

Construction

Construction began in 2006, with the first section opening on February 21, 2012.^[7] The line comprises 29 stations, out of which 2 will be on grade and the remaining 27 stations underground. The tunnel shall be a bored tunnel and the stations shall be executed by the cut and cover method.^[4] The entire line 3 is expected to be fully operational by October 2019.

The implementation of Line No. 3 started with the Attaba to Abbasia section, the first phase, followed by the second phase from Abbasia to Heliopolis, which are the most urgent sections for the transportation needs. The design of phase 1 is taking into consideration the safe crossing of two major underground structures; namely, the line 2 bored tunnel at Attaba and the wastewater spine tunnel north of Attaba. It is also planned that some of the underground stations will be extensively used as commercial centres. These stations will be constructed by the cut-and-cover method and the rolling stock will be fed by power through a third rail. Orascom Construction Industries won the tender for 1 billion EGP for the construction of the first phase of the project.^[8] The line has trains supplied by a joint venture of Kinki Sharyo and Toshiba^[6] and a contactless fare collection system and integrated supervision and communication system supplied by the Thales Group.^[9] France provided a 280 million dollar loan for the second phase of the project to French companies involved in the project.^[10]

Phase 1 was opened on 21 February 2012 which ran from Attaba Station to Abbassia Station. This first phase includes five underground stations (Attaba, Bab El Shaaria, El Geish, Abdou Pasha and Abbassia) and serves the eastern part of Cairo from the city centre. 3,500 people, including 85 expatriate staff, worked on this project, which took 51 months to complete. The project was built by a consortium, led by VINCI Construction Grands Projets, comprising Bouygues Travaux Publics, Orascom and Arab Contractors. The first phase cost a total of 4.2 billion LE ($700 million) and will transport between 250,000 and 300,000 passengers per day.^[11] Phase 1 civil engineering contract covered construction of a 4.3 km tunnel section and five stations.^[12] Meanwhile, VINCI subsidiary ETF-Eurovia Travaux Ferroviaires led the consortium responsible for the track works package. This included the supply and laying of 11 km of track and the power rail in the tunnel.^[7] In September 2009, work on the phase 1 was delayed after a landslide hit the construction site on Al-Gueich Street.^[11]

Phase 2 was opened on 7 May 2014, and led by consortium with VINCI, Bouygues Travaux Publics, Orascom and Arab Contractors which is 7.2 km tunnel.^[7][13] Construction work on Phase 2 began in mid-2009 and it runs from Abbassiya Station till Al Ahram Station in Heliopolis, with five stations to be constructed, Fair Zone, Cairo Stadium, Koleyet El Banat, Al Ahram and Haroun.^[14] The costs of this phase about (498M€) and was financed by French Development Agency(44M€), French ministry of finance (RÉSERVE PAYS EMERGENTS) (200M€) and Government of Egypt (1.5 billion EGP) with French Fund for Global Environment (1M€) grant.^[15] This phase was set to be completed at October 2013.^[16] However, It was pushed back to April 2014^[17] as stated by the minister of transportation.

Phase 3-1 was set to begin in 2011 but was delayed due to the recent uprising in Egypt. The construction began in January 2012. This is the western branch of Line 3, this phase will connect Attaba Station with the already existing Gamal Abdel Nasser Station through Emad El-Din Street with a new station built in between, it will then continue on its way onto northern of Maspero (New Station) and run under both branches of the Nile passing through Zamalek island and ending at Kit Kat Station under the Kit Kat Square. Completion date is set at October 2015 but it is still studying of planning.

Phase 3-2 is scheduled to begin in 2013 will be starting from Kit Kat Station it will split into two branches with on heading towards Imbaba to the cross point of 6 October West Wing highway (under construction) and Alexandria freight railway, and the other toward Mohandessin(Wadi El-Nile Station,Mustafa Mahmoud Station, Shehab Street Station, and so on) to the Cairo University Station of Line 2 where will be connected each other. This phase is set for a completion date of October 2017.

Phase 4 Is the final phase in Line 3 which has a starting date set at 2015 with a plan for it to continue where it originally left off on the Eastern side of the line completing its path toward Cairo International Airport, running through Heliopolis Square and Ain Shams district, with seven stations to be constructed. This phase is set for a completion date of October 2019.

Connections

The third line is still under construction. As of May 2014, it operates from Ahram to Ataba.

To other Metro lines

Line 3 connects to Line 2 at Attaba Station. It is expected to connect with Line 1 in October 2015 at Nasser Station when Phase 3 is completed.

To other forms of transit

Line 3 riders can access Egyptian National Railways long-haul and short-haul domestic passenger service via transfer to Line 2 and debarkation at Shohadaa Station near Ramses Station. Tram stops are also frequently located near Line 3 stations, as are Cairo Transport Authority buses and private microbus services.

Access to Cairo International Airport is expected upon completion of Phase 5 in October 2019, or 2021.

See also

• Cairo metro
• List of Cairo Metro stations

References

General

Cairo Metro
Line 1	Helwan Ain Helwan Helwan University Wadi Hof Hadayeq Helwan El-Maasara Tora El-Asmant Kozzika Tora El-Balad Thakanat El-Maadi Maadi Hadayeq El-Maadi Dar El-Salam El-Zahraa' Mar Girgis El-Malek El-Saleh AlSayyeda Zeinab Saad Zaghloul Sadat Gamal AbdAl Urabi Al Shohadaa Ghamra El-Demerdash Manshiet El-Sadr Kobri El-Qobba Hammamat El-Qobba Saray El-Qobba Hadayeq El-Zaitoun Helmeyet El-Zaitoun El-Matareyya Ain Shams Ezbet El-Nakhl El-Marg New El-Marg
Line 2	El Mounib Sakiat Mekki Omm el Misryeen Giza Faisal Cairo University Bohooth Dokki Gezira (Opera) Sadat Naguib Ataba Al Shohadaa Massara Road El-Farag Sainte Teresa Khalafawy Mezallat Koliet El-Zeraa Shobra El Kheima
Line 3	Airport Omar Ibn Al Khattab Ain Shams 2 Ain Shams 1 El Arab Alf Maskan Heliopolis Square Haroun Al Ahram Koleyet El Banat Cairo Stadium Cairo Fairground Abbassiya Abdou Pasha El Geish Bab El Shaaria Ataba Nasser Maspero Zamalek Kit Kat Sudan St. Imbaba El Moneera El Bohy El Tawfikeya Wdi El Nil Mustafa Mahmoud Shehab