Transport

The government has invited the Japan International Cooperation Agency to come up with a new master plan for the transport sector. Urban transport, railways and inland waterways have been identified as key areas of improvement. Efforts are under way to upgrade Egypt’s 6700-km rail network. In 2010 the World Bank announced a $330m loan to support the National Railways Restructuring Project, a plan to modernise the rail system with a focus on management, operations and infrastructure. Additionally, in February 2012 the Qatari and Egyptian governments signed an agreement to build new ports in Port Said and in Alexandria. The expansion of Cairo International Airport’s second terminal will double the number of gates in the terminal and increase its capacity to 7.5m passengers per year, boosting the airport’s total annual capacity from 21m to 25m. With an improved infrastructure and regulatory environment, the sector could reach a compound annual growth rate of 12.7% between 2011 and 2015, according to some estimates. This chapter contains an interview with Ahmed Ali Fadel, Former Chairman, Suez Canal Authority (SCA).