Transport in Cairo comprises an extensive road network, rail system, subway system and maritime services for the more than 15.2 million inhabitants of the city.
Cairo
Cairo ( ; , ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Egypt and the Cairo Governorate, being home to more than 10 million people. It is also part of the List of urban agglomerations in Africa, largest urban agglomeration in Africa, L ...
is the hub of almost the entire Egyptian transport network.
Transport today
Road system
An extensive road network connects Cairo with other Egyptian cities and villages. There is a
ring road
A ring road (also known as circular road, beltline, beltway, circumferential (high)way, loop or orbital) is a road or a series of connected roads encircling a town, city or country. The most common purpose of a ring road is to assist in reducin ...
that surrounds the outskirts of the city, with exits that reach to almost every Cairo district. There are
flyovers and bridges such as the
Sixth of October Bridge, designed to allow fast and efficient means of transport from one side of the city to the other; in practice, however, Cairo traffic is known to be overwhelming and overcrowded, with
traffic jams frequently increasing travel time far beyond the theoretical speed.
During the period between 2014 and 2020, many roads were expanded and upgraded, such as the
El Moshir Tantawy Axis which connects New Cairo to other neighborhoods in Eastern and Central Cairo, and the
Cairo-Suez Road which connects Cairo to
El Rehab
Al Rehab ( , literal meaning: "City of Spaciousness") is a district of New Cairo and a part of Greater Cairo, in the Cairo Governorate, Egypt. It is a private city built by the Talaat Moustafa Group. Al Rehab is a fully-fledged communi ...
,
Madinaty,
El Shorouk,
Badr and the
New Administrative Capital
New Administrative Capital (NAC) () is a New Urban Communities Authority, new urban community east of New Cairo in Cairo Governorate, Egypt and a satellite city of Cairo. As of May 2023, 14 ministries and government entities have been relocated ...
. The
ring road
A ring road (also known as circular road, beltline, beltway, circumferential (high)way, loop or orbital) is a road or a series of connected roads encircling a town, city or country. The most common purpose of a ring road is to assist in reducin ...
is also undergoing an expansion as of September 2020, which aims to increase the number of lanes to seven or eight, instead of three or four.
Many neighborhoods in Cairo have unplanned buildings, which resulted in an increasing population density in these areas, so neighborhoods such as
Heliopolis and
Nasr City had congested streets almost daily and at all times. In late 2019, the government decided to tackle this problem by constructing a large number of overpasses inside these neighborhoods in order to remove intersections and u-turns that resulted in congestion, more than 8 overpasses were constructed in Heliopolis, and over 12 overpasses were built in Nasr City, with Mostafa El Nahas Street alone (a major axis in Nasr City) having four of them. These structures did fulfill their intended purpose, which was to eliminate traffic congestion in these areas, but they received criticism due to many reasons, one of which was the removal of many green spaces in Heliopolis, and the danger they posed for pedestrians crossing the streets (also known as
jaywalking).
Bus system
There are two types of buses in Cairo, those run by the Cairo Transport Authority, and those run by private companies, with the latter using smaller minibuses. Bus lines are spread all over the
Greater Cairo
The Greater Cairo () is a metropolitan area centered around Cairo, Egypt. It comprises the entirety of the Cairo Governorate, the cities of Imbaba and Giza in the Giza Governorate, and the city Shubra El Kheima in Qalyubia Governorate. Its def ...
area, and are considered the main mean of transport for many Cairenes. The tickets for the CTA buses cost anywhere from to , depending on the type of bus itself, and whether it's air conditioned or not, while tickets for buses run by private companies cost depending on the company and the route. The ticket costs were considerably lower, but due to the devaluation of the
Egyptian pound
The Egyptian pound ( ; abbreviations: £, E£, £E, LE, or EGP in Latin alphabet, Latin, and in Arabic script, Arabic, ISO 4217, ISO code: EGP) is the official currency of Egypt. It is divided into 100 piastres, (or qirsh, ; ''plural'' ; abb ...
back in 2016, and the government's decision to gradually remove subsidies (which affected gas prices), the prices were increased. In recent years, other bus services such as
Uber
Uber Technologies, Inc. is an American multinational transportation company that provides Ridesharing company, ride-hailing services, courier services, food delivery, and freight transport. It is headquartered in San Francisco, California, a ...
Bus,
Careem bus and
Swvl
Swvl Holdings Corp. is an Dubai-based provider of intercity, intracity, B2B and B2G transportation products and services. Swvl operates in 135 cities in 20 countries across Latin America, Europe, Africa and Asia. The company went public in March ...
increased in popularity.
Air

The largest airport in Egypt,
Cairo International Airport, is located near in the
Heliopolis district and is accessible by car, taxi and bus. The
third line of the
Cairo Metro
The Cairo Metro (, lit. "Cairo Tunnel Metro" or ) is a rapid transit system in Greater Cairo, Egypt. It was the first of the three full-fledged metro systems in Africa and the first in the Middle East to be constructed. It was opened in ...
, opened in 2012, was originally planned to reach the Airport, but those plans were cancelled in mid-2020 in place of a future shuttle bus system that runs directly from Adly Mansour Station to the Airport. However, some current maps still shows the line being connected to it. Th
Cairo Airport Shuttle Busalso operates all over Cairo for trips to or from the airport.
Cairo International Airport is the busiest airport in
Egypt
Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...
and the primary hub for
Star Alliance
Star Alliance is an airline alliance headquartered in Frankfurt, Germany. Founded on 14 May 1997, it was the world's first global airline alliance. Star Alliance has 25 member airlines that operate a combined fleet of over 5,000 aircraft, servi ...
member and flag carrier
EgyptAir. The airport is located to the north-east of the city around 15 km from the business area of the city. The airport is administered by the Egyptian Holding Company for Airports and Air Navigation (EHCAAN), which controls four companies including: Cairo Airport Co., Egyptian Airports Co., National Air Navigation Services and Aviation Information Technology and the Cairo Airport Authority (CAA), which is the regulatory body.
Cairo International is the second busiest airport in
Africa
Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surfac ...
after
Johannesburg International Airport in
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...
. Cairo Airport handles about 3,400 daily flights, more than 12,100 weekly flights, and about 125,000 yearly flights. The airport has three terminals with the third (Terminal 3), which opened in April 2009, houses
EgyptAir and its
Star Alliance
Star Alliance is an airline alliance headquartered in Frankfurt, Germany. Founded on 14 May 1997, it was the world's first global airline alliance. Star Alliance has 25 member airlines that operate a combined fleet of over 5,000 aircraft, servi ...
partners. There are also three runways (a fourth runway was opened in early 2009) and a single cargo terminal. Runway 05L/23R is 3,300m long, 05R/23L has a length of 4,000m and 16/34 is 3,180m (all of the runways are 60m wide). The fourth runway, south of the existing airfield is 4,000m by 65m and suitable for the Airbus A380.
With the assimilation of
EgyptAir into
Star Alliance
Star Alliance is an airline alliance headquartered in Frankfurt, Germany. Founded on 14 May 1997, it was the world's first global airline alliance. Star Alliance has 25 member airlines that operate a combined fleet of over 5,000 aircraft, servi ...
in July 2008, the airport has the potential to be a major hub with its positioning between Africa, the Middle East and Europe (especially with facilities for the A380).
In 2008, the airport served 14,360,175 passengers (+14.2% vs. 2007) and handled just over 138,000 aircraft movements (+12.4% vs. 2007). According to
Airports Council International
Airports Council International (ACI) is an organization of Airport authority, airport authorities, informing members of industry practices and airport standards. Established in 1991, its headquarters (ACI World) are based in Montreal, Quebec, Ca ...
statistics, of the top 100 airports in the world, CAI reported the highest growth rate of any airport in 2008.
Cairo is also planned to be served by a new airport in the
New Administrative Capital
New Administrative Capital (NAC) () is a New Urban Communities Authority, new urban community east of New Cairo in Cairo Governorate, Egypt and a satellite city of Cairo. As of May 2023, 14 ministries and government entities have been relocated ...
, which has been fully constructed but is not yet fully operational.
Taxis
Cairo is served by its "white taxis" which have been introduced in the early 2010s and aren't run by a company, but rather by individuals. These taxis have plummeted in popularity, due to things such as the drivers not turning on their meters and instead demanding a fare which is usually considerably inflated, and other problems such as the lack of air-conditioning. The main reason, however, is the introduction of applications like
Uber
Uber Technologies, Inc. is an American multinational transportation company that provides Ridesharing company, ride-hailing services, courier services, food delivery, and freight transport. It is headquartered in San Francisco, California, a ...
, which have become the main option instead of taxis. This has been met by protests from cab drivers, going as far as demanding a ban of these services.
Cairo Metro
The
Cairo Metro
The Cairo Metro (, lit. "Cairo Tunnel Metro" or ) is a rapid transit system in Greater Cairo, Egypt. It was the first of the three full-fledged metro systems in Africa and the first in the Middle East to be constructed. It was opened in ...
is the first rapid transit system in Greater Cairo, Egypt and the first of only two full-fledged metro systems in Africa and only four in the Arab world. It was opened in 1987 as
Line 1 from Helwan to Ramsis square, with a length of 29 kilometres (18.0 mi). As of 2014, the Cairo Metro has 61 stations (mostly At-grade), of which three are transfer stations, with a total length of 77.9 kilometres (48.4 mi). The system consists of three operational lines numbered from 1 to 3. As of 2013, the metro carried nearly 4 million passengers per day. The cost of the Metro was to go anywhere until 2017, when it rose to (still heavily subsidized).
The Cairo Metro is run by the National Authority for Tunnels. The lines use standard gauge (1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in)).
Tram

Constructed near the beginning of the 20th century, until 2014, the Cairo tramway network was still used in modern-day Cairo, especially in modern areas, like Heliopolis, Nasr City. During the 1970s government policies favoured making space for cars, resulting in the removal of over half of the 120 km network. Trams were removed entirely from central Cairo but continued to run in Heliopolis and Helwan. However, in 2015, the tramway rails were removed and the streets and side walks became wider. The reason according to the city council is that "it has been rarely used by anyone during the past decade as it is a slow mean of transportation and it has a limited geographical coverage".
Limousine service
This service uses a luxury sedan or saloon car driven by chauffeur to drive passengers from the airport or other locations to their destination. There are types of limousine services the main one i
Airport limousineand the second one to transport people from town to town in Egypt.
Train
Cairo is extensively connected to other Egyptian cities and villages by rail operated by the
Egyptian National Railways.
Cairo's main railway station -
Ramses Station (Mahattat Ramses) is located on Midan Ramses.
In May 2022, the
Egyptian National Authority for Tunnels (NAT) and
Siemens Mobility
Siemens Mobility GmbH is a division of Siemens. With its global headquarters in Munich, Siemens Mobility has four core business units: Mobility Management, dedicated to rail technology and intelligent traffic systems, Railway Electrification, ...
have signed a contract to create the sixth largest high-speed rail system - 2,000 km long - in the world. The Siemens Mobility share of the combined contract is 8.1 billion EUR and includes the initial contract of 2.7 billion EUR for the first line signed September 1, 2021.
The
high-speed rail
High-speed rail (HSR) is a type of rail transport network utilising trains that run significantly faster than those of traditional rail, using an integrated system of specialised rolling stock and dedicated railway track, tracks. While there is ...
network will connect 60 cities throughout the country, with trains that can operate at up to 230 km/h. Approximately 90 percent of Egyptians will have access to this rail system.
The
Cairo Light Rail Transit or LRT, inaugurated in June 2022, links Cairo to the
10th of Ramadan City and the
New Administrative Capital
New Administrative Capital (NAC) () is a New Urban Communities Authority, new urban community east of New Cairo in Cairo Governorate, Egypt and a satellite city of Cairo. As of May 2023, 14 ministries and government entities have been relocated ...
, providing a connection to several other communities east of Cairo along the way. The LRT's western terminus is at Adly Mansour station, where transfer to the
Cairo Metro Line 3 is possible.
Nile ferry
There's a maritime ferry boat system that crosses the
Nile River
The Nile (also known as the Nile River or River Nile) is a major north-flowing river in northeastern Africa. It flows into the Mediterranean Sea. The Nile is the longest river in Africa. It has historically been considered the longest river i ...
. Here'
an article from 2005about the Nile Bus system. There is als
a brief article, published in Al Ahram 2014about the Nile Bus system.
Monorail
In 2015 plans to construct two
monorail
A monorail is a Rail transport, railway in which the track consists of a single rail or beam. Colloquially, the term "monorail" is often used to describe any form of elevated rail or people mover. More accurately, the term refers to the style ...
systems were announced, one linking October City to suburban Giza, a distance of 42 km, and the other linking Nasr City to New Cairo, a distance of 54 km. They will be Egypt's first monorail systems. In May 2019 the contract to build 70 four-car trains was awarded to
Bombardier Transportation
Bombardier Transportation was a Canadian rolling stock and rail transport manufacturer, with headquarters in Toronto and Berlin. It was one of the world's largest companies in the rail vehicle and equipment manufacturing and servicing industry. ...
with assembly to take place at its
Derby Litchurch Lane Works
Derby Litchurch Lane Works, formerly Derby Carriage and Wagon Works, is a railway rolling stock factory in Derby, England. It is presently owned by the multinational transportation manufacturer Alstom.
Derby works originally commenced productio ...
in England. Delivery of the trains is expected between 2021 and 2024.
The network is to be built by
Orascom Construction and
Arab Contractors
The Arab Contractors, known locally as Al Mokawloon Al Arab (), is an Egyptian regional construction and contracting company.
History
It was established in 1955 by Osman Ahmed Osman, an Egyptian entrepreneur and politician who served as Egypt's ...
.
Bombarder Transportation selected for Cairo monorail contract
''Metro Report International
''Metro Report International'' is a business journal for urban transport professionals which covers the metro, light rail, tram and commuter rail industries worldwide. It includes news and articles looking at urban transport around the world, ...
'' 28 May 2019
See also
* Transport in Egypt
References
{{Reflist