Transports in Cairo

If you are planning to live and work in Cairo, you will probably have to move around the city. Whether you have to go to work, shopping, or you just want to discover the Egyptian capital city, you can choose from different means of transport, namely the bus, subway and taxi. These are quite accessible and affordable, and comfortable in most cases.

Subway

Cairo's subway network is the most rapid and efficient means of transport to travel from one part of the city to another. It is very popular with the locals despite being overcrowded during peak hours.

Greater Cairo is served by three subway lines operating under the aegis of the National Authority for Tunnels. The first line links Helwa, in the South of the Nile, to El-Marg which is in the Northeast of the same bank, over more than 44 km. It stops at not less than 35 stations and is available every two and a half minutes.

The second line, for its part, connects El-Mounib to Shubra-el-Kheima by crossing Cairo from the Southeast to the North over some 22 km and 20 stations. Finally, the third line is the most recent one, inaugurated in 2012. It connects El-Bohy to the Cairo International Airport. It should soon be modified to serve the East-West of Cairo. Note that subway tickets cost one Egyptian pound, regardless of the distance traveled.

Good to know:

Local authorities have launched another subway development project which is still under study. Hence, Cairo's subway system should soon improve with the introduction of several new lines. Moreover, in order to prevent sexual harassment in public transport, local authorities have decided to reserve two cars per ream for women (the 4th and 5th). However, women are allowed to travel aboard any car they wish.

Bus

Cairo's bus network is similar to that of other major Egyptian cities. You will also find minibuses which, however, are less regular. In general, you will find air conditioned buses in Cairo. But in case you feel uneasy with the temperature, make sure to have something to cover yourself, especially if you are traveling at night when temperatures tend to go down.

Air conditioned (or luxurious) bus fares are higher than those of regular buses, but these remain rather affordable.

Taxi

You can choose between the individual and collective taxi. See more information in the article Transports in Egypt. However, individual taxis are less popular than collective taxis due to their higher fares.

Train

Cairo also hosts a main train station, the Ramsès Station, where some 3.2 million passengers transit every day. It is also known to be the final stop for the train line connecting Cairo to Alexandria. Another secondary station is found at Giza.

Train tickets can be purchased either at the train station or in travel agencies.

Tramway

Finally, Cairo hosts two tramway networks, namely the Heliopolis tram and the Helwan tram.

Useful links:

Expat.com ' Transports in Cairo Forum
Cairo Metro cairometro.gov.eg