Latest news with #EgyptianNationalRailways
Arab News
a day ago
- Arab News
Hundreds of Sudanese refugees in Cairo take up chance to return home for free
CAIRO: On a sweltering Monday morning at Cairo's main railway station, hundreds of Sudanese families stood waiting, with bags piled at their feet and children in tow, to board a train bound for a homeland shattered by two years of war is not yet over, but with the army having regained control of key areas and life in Egypt often hard, many refugees have decided now is the time to head home.'It's an indescribable feeling,' said Khadija Mohamed Ali, 45, seated inside one of the train's aging carriages, her five daughters lined beside her.'I'm happy that I'll see my neighbors again – my family, my street,' she said ahead of her return to the capital Khartoum, still reeling from a conflict that has killed tens of thousands and displaced more than 14 was among the second group of refugees traveling under Egypt's voluntary return program, which offers free transportation from Cairo to Khartoum, more than 2,000 kilometers away by train and first convoy left a week program is a joint effort between the Egyptian National Railways and Sudan's state-owned arms company Defense Industries System, which is covering the full cost of the journey, including tickets and onward bus travel from Egypt's southern city of Aswan to the Sudanese Sudanese army is keen for the refugees to return, in part to reinforce its control over recently recaptured areas and as a step toward Monday, a third-class, air-conditioned train departs Cairo carrying hundreds on a 12-hour journey to Aswan before they continue by bus across the precisely 11:30 am, a battered locomotive rumbled into the station and women broke into spontaneous while some Sudanese are returning home, many continue to flee their homeland, which has been ravaged by war and to a June report from the UN's refugee agency UNHCR, over 65,000 Sudanese crossed into Chad in just over a through Libya, one of the most dangerous routes to Europe, have increased this year, according to the Mixed Migration war, which began in April 2023, pits army chief Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan against his erstwhile ally Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, who leads the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).The fighting first erupted in Khartoum and quickly spread, triggering one of the world's worst humanitarian crises, according to the United this year, Sudan's army declared it had fully retaken Khartoum. Since then, a trickle of returnees has week, the country's new prime minister, Kamil Idris, made his first visit to the capital since the conflict began, promising that 'national institutions will come back stronger than before.'The UN has predicted that more than two million people could return to greater Khartoum by the end of the year, though that figure depends heavily on improvements in security and public capital remains a fractured city. Its infrastructure has been decimated, health services remain scarce and electricity is still largely out in many districts.'Slowly things will become better,' said Maryam Ahmed Mohamed, 52, who plans to return to her home in Khartoum's twin city of Omdurman with her two daughters.'At least we'll be back at home and with our family and friends,' she many, the decision to return home is driven less by hope than by hardship in neighboring countries like now hosts an estimated 1.5 million Sudanese refugees, who have limited access to legal work, health care and education, according to the Mohamed, 34, fled Khartoum's Soba district with her family to Egypt 10 months ago when the area was liberated, but was in services remain nearly non-existent in Khartoum, Mohamed said she still wanted to leave Egypt and go home.'Life was too expensive here. I couldn't afford rent or school fees,' Mohamed Khalafallah, a mother of three who spent seven months in Egypt, also said she struggled to now returning to the central Al-Jazirah state, which was retaken by the army late last year and is seen as 'much safer and having better services than Khartoum.'According to the UN's International Organization for Migration, about 71 percent of returnees were heading to Al-Jazirah, southeast of the capital, while fewer than 10 percent were going to outside the Cairo station, dozens more were sitting on benches, hoping for standby tickets.'They told me the train was full,' said Maryam Abdullah, 32, who left Sudan two years ago with her six children.'But I'll wait. I just want to go back, rebuild my house, and send my children back to school,' she said.
France 24
2 days ago
- Politics
- France 24
Hundreds of Sudanese refugees in Cairo take up chance to return home for free
The war is not yet over, but with the army having regained control of key areas and life in Egypt often hard, many refugees have decided now is the time to head home. "It's an indescribable feeling," said Khadija Mohamed Ali, 45, seated inside one of the train's ageing carriages, her five daughters lined beside her. "I'm happy that I'll see my neighbours again -- my family, my street," she told AFP ahead of her return to the capital Khartoum, still reeling from a conflict that has killed tens of thousands and displaced more than 14 million. She was among the second group of refugees travelling under Egypt's voluntary return programme, which offers free transportation from Cairo to Khartoum, more than 2,000 kilometres away by train and bus. The first convoy left a week earlier. The programme is a joint effort between the Egyptian National Railways and Sudan's state-owned arms company Defence Industries System, which is covering the full cost of the journey, including tickets and onward bus travel from Egypt's southern city of Aswan to the Sudanese capital. The Sudanese army is keen for the refugees to return, in part to reinforce its control over recently recaptured areas and as a step towards normality. Each Monday, a third-class, air-conditioned train departs Cairo carrying hundreds on a 12-hour journey to Aswan before they continue by bus across the border. At precisely 11:30 am, a battered locomotive rumbled into the station and women broke into spontaneous ululation. But while some Sudanese are returning home, many continue to flee their homeland, which has been ravaged by war and famine. According to a June report from the UN's refugee agency UNHCR, over 65,000 Sudanese crossed into Chad in just over a month. Crossings through Libya, one of the most dangerous routes to Europe, have increased this year, according to the Mixed Migration Center. Khartoum retaken The war, which began in April 2023, pits army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan against his erstwhile ally Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, who leads the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The fighting first erupted in Khartoum and quickly spread, triggering one of the world's worst humanitarian crises, according to the United Nations. Earlier this year, Sudan's army declared it had fully retaken Khartoum. Since then, a trickle of returnees has begun. Last week, the country's new prime minister, Kamil Idris, made his first visit to the capital since the conflict began, promising that "national institutions will come back stronger than before". The UN has predicted that more than two million people could return to greater Khartoum by the end of the year, though that figure depends heavily on improvements in security and public infrastructure. The capital remains a fractured city. Its infrastructure has been decimated, health services remain scarce and electricity is still largely out in many districts. 'Just go back' "Slowly things will become better," said Maryam Ahmed Mohamed, 52, who plans to return to her home in Khartoum's twin city of Omdurman with her two daughters. "At least we'll be back at home and with our family and friends," she told AFP. For many, the decision to return home is driven less by hope than by hardship in neighbouring countries like Egypt. Egypt now hosts an estimated 1.5 million Sudanese refugees, who have limited access to legal work, healthcare and education, according to the UNHCR. Hayam Mohamed, 34, fled Khartoum's Soba district with her family to Egypt 10 months ago when the area was liberated, but was in ruins. Though services remain nearly non-existent in Khartoum, Mohamed said she still wanted to leave Egypt and go home. "Life was too expensive here. I couldn't afford rent or school fees," Mohamed said. Elham Khalafallah, a mother of three who spent seven months in Egypt, also said she struggled to cope. She's now returning to the central Al-Jazirah state, which was retaken by the army late last year and is seen as "much safer and having better services than Khartoum". According to the UN's International Organization for Migration, about 71 percent of returnees were heading to Al-Jazirah, southeast of the capital, while fewer than 10 percent were going to Khartoum. Just outside the Cairo station, dozens more were sitting on benches, hoping for standby tickets. "They told me the train was full," said Maryam Abdullah, 32, who left Sudan two years ago with her six children. "But I'll wait. I just want to go back, rebuild my house, and send my children back to school," she told AFP.
Int'l Business Times
2 days ago
- Int'l Business Times
Hundreds Of Sudanese Refugees In Cairo Take Up Chance To Return Home For Free
On a sweltering Monday morning at Cairo's main railway station, hundreds of Sudanese families stood waiting, with bags piled at their feet and children in tow, to board a train bound for a homeland shattered by two years of war. The war is not yet over, but with the army having regained control of key areas and life in Egypt often hard, many refugees have decided now is the time to head home. "It's an indescribable feeling," said Khadija Mohamed Ali, 45, seated inside one of the train's ageing carriages, her five daughters lined beside her. "I'm happy that I'll see my neighbours again -- my family, my street," she told AFP ahead of her return to the capital Khartoum, still reeling from a conflict that has killed tens of thousands and displaced more than 14 million. She was among the second group of refugees travelling under Egypt's voluntary return programme, which offers free transportation from Cairo to Khartoum, more than 2,000 kilometres away by train and bus. The first convoy left a week earlier. The programme is a joint effort between the Egyptian National Railways and Sudan's state-owned arms company Defence Industries System, which is covering the full cost of the journey, including tickets and onward bus travel from Egypt's southern city of Aswan to the Sudanese capital. The Sudanese army is keen for the refugees to return, in part to reinforce its control over recently recaptured areas and as a step towards normality. Each Monday, a third-class, air-conditioned train departs Cairo carrying hundreds on a 12-hour journey to Aswan before they continue by bus across the border. At precisely 11:30 am, a battered locomotive rumbled into the station and women broke into spontaneous ululation. But while some Sudanese are returning home, many continue to flee their homeland, which has been ravaged by war and famine. According to a June report from the UN's refugee agency UNHCR, over 65,000 Sudanese crossed into Chad in just over a month. Crossings through Libya, one of the most dangerous routes to Europe, have increased this year, according to the Mixed Migration Center. The war, which began in April 2023, pits army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan against his erstwhile ally Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, who leads the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The fighting first erupted in Khartoum and quickly spread, triggering one of the world's worst humanitarian crises, according to the United Nations. Earlier this year, Sudan's army declared it had fully retaken Khartoum. Since then, a trickle of returnees has begun. Last week, the country's new prime minister, Kamil Idris, made his first visit to the capital since the conflict began, promising that "national institutions will come back stronger than before". The UN has predicted that more than two million people could return to greater Khartoum by the end of the year, though that figure depends heavily on improvements in security and public infrastructure. The capital remains a fractured city. Its infrastructure has been decimated, health services remain scarce and electricity is still largely out in many districts. "Slowly things will become better," said Maryam Ahmed Mohamed, 52, who plans to return to her home in Khartoum's twin city of Omdurman with her two daughters. "At least we'll be back at home and with our family and friends," she told AFP. For many, the decision to return home is driven less by hope than by hardship in neighbouring countries like Egypt. Egypt now hosts an estimated 1.5 million Sudanese refugees, who have limited access to legal work, healthcare and education, according to the UNHCR. Hayam Mohamed, 34, fled Khartoum's Soba district with her family to Egypt 10 months ago when the area was liberated, but was in ruins. Though services remain nearly non-existent in Khartoum, Mohamed said she still wanted to leave Egypt and go home. "Life was too expensive here. I couldn't afford rent or school fees," Mohamed said. Elham Khalafallah, a mother of three who spent seven months in Egypt, also said she struggled to cope. She's now returning to the central Al-Jazirah state, which was retaken by the army late last year and is seen as "much safer and having better services than Khartoum". According to the UN's International Organization for Migration, about 71 percent of returnees were heading to Al-Jazirah, southeast of the capital, while fewer than 10 percent were going to Khartoum. Just outside the Cairo station, dozens more were sitting on benches, hoping for standby tickets. "They told me the train was full," said Maryam Abdullah, 32, who left Sudan two years ago with her six children. "But I'll wait. I just want to go back, rebuild my house, and send my children back to school," she told AFP. The journeys are being paid for by a state-owned Sudanese arms company AFP Life has proved hard for many refugees in Egypt, where they struggle to find work AFP The capital Khartoum and the central Al-Jazirah state hvae both been restored to army control AFP
Daily News Egypt
18-06-2025
- Business
- Daily News Egypt
Egypt launches trial operations of Cheng He Institute for smart railway signal control
In a significant step toward upgrading Egypt's railway infrastructure, trial operations have officially begun at the Cheng He – Egypt Institute for Smart Railway Signal Control. This milestone aligns with the directives of Kamel Al-Wazir, Deputy Prime Minister for Industrial Development and Minister of Industry and Transport, who has tasked Mohamed Amer, Chairperson of the Egyptian National Railways, with implementing comprehensive reforms to enhance education, training, and technological know-how in the sector. The Cheng He Institute is the product of a strategic partnership between Egypt's Higher Institute of Transport Technology, China's AVIC International Project Engineering Company, and the Nanjing Institute of Railway Science. It is envisioned as a regional centre of excellence for advanced training in smart railway signaling, supporting Egypt's broader vision to modernise its rail network and build local technical capacity. The trial launch was attended by senior representatives from the National Railways Authority, the Higher Institute of Transport Technology, Wardan Railway Institute, the Chinese Embassy in Cairo, the Jiangsu Provincial Education Department, AVIC International, the Nanjing Railway Technology Institute, CASCO Signal Ltd., and the Central Administration for Talent Development at Egyptian National Railways. The initiative complements the Ministry of Transport's wider efforts to overhaul technical education and foster knowledge exchange with international partners, particularly China, which is also deeply involved in developing Egypt's electric traction systems. A key goal is to prepare highly skilled graduates capable of keeping pace with the fast-evolving transport technologies being deployed across the country. Since 2020, the Higher Institute of Transport Technology has held a series of meetings in Egypt and China with its Chinese counterparts—including AVIC International, which is overseeing Egypt's light rail transit (LRT) project, as well as the Nanjing and Guangzhou Institutes of Railway Science—to design a joint academic programme tailored to the needs of Egypt's modern rail network. Under the programme, students complete three academic semesters in Egypt, followed by three semesters at the Nanjing Institute in China, before returning to Egypt to complete a final year of study. Graduates receive a Bachelor's degree in Technology from Egypt and a Technological Diploma accredited by the Chinese government. Alongside academic cooperation, the Cheng He Institute is upgrading its training laboratories and simulation systems and developing a new generation of Egyptian academic and technical staff to lead the transformation of railway education and support future transport infrastructure projects. This cross-border collaboration marks another milestone in Egypt's ongoing efforts to create a modern, smart, and sustainable transport system supported by world-class technical education.
Al Bawaba
02-06-2025
- Business
- Al Bawaba
Siemens Mobility and Egyptian National Railways Put Zagazig Station into Service as Part of Signaling System Modernization
Siemens Mobility, in partnership with Egyptian National Railways (ENR), announces the inauguration of the new signaling Building at Zagazig Station, marking a major milestone in Egypt's nationwide railway modernization efforts. This event comes as part of the directive from H.E. President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi to accelerate the upgrade of railway signaling systems and enhance overall safety and efficiency across the country's rail launch includes the main signaling building at Zagazig Station and the commissioning of three additional automatic signaling sections between Zagazig and Menia El Qamh, Zagazig and El Shabanat, and Zagazig and Hehia —covering a total of 36 kilometers. Also commissioned are 17 level crossings, 87 point machines, 144 signals, and 202 track circuits. These upgrades are part of the larger modernization of the Zagazig–Ismailia/Port Said line and the Abu Kabir branch, implemented by Siemens Mobility using advanced Electronic Interlocking Systems (EIS) certified to the highest international safety level, modernization initiative aims to replace the outdated mechanical signaling with a cutting-edge electronic system, ensuring real-time train monitoring, increased daily train frequency, and enhanced operational safety. Additionally, the system introduces automated level crossing gates and integrated control mechanisms to reduce human error and prevent accidents, while allowing train drivers to communicate with central control from any signal in emergency on the inauguration, Lieutenant General Eng. Kamel El-Wazir, Deputy Prime Minister for Industrial Development and Minister of Industry and Transport, stated:"Modernizing Egypt's railway signaling systems is critical for improving safety, increasing operational efficiency, and supporting the nation's development goals. The advancements at Zagazig Station represent a significant step in our efforts to transform the railway network with the help of global expertise and world-class technology."Tarek Aly, CEO of Siemens Mobility Egypt, commented: "The commissioning of the Zagazig Station signaling building marks another important step in our long-term partnership with the Ministry of Transport and Egyptian National Railways. At Siemens Mobility, we are proud to support Egypt's vision of a safer, more advanced, and digitally connected rail network. This milestone reflects our commitment to delivering sustainable infrastructure solutions that not only elevate operational performance but also contribute to the country's broader development goals." Siemens Mobility remains fully committed to supporting Egypt's transport vision through advanced engineering solutions and localized know-how. The full project spans 21 main buildings, 19 secondary towers, and 84 level crossings—demonstrating a comprehensive approach to enhancing Egypt's railway infrastructure.
