Transport Transport (in British English) or transportation (in American English) is the intentional Motion, movement of humans, animals, and cargo, goods from one location to another. Mode of transport, Modes of transport include aviation, air, land tr ...

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 ...

is centered in

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 ...

and largely follows the pattern of settlement along the

Nile 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 List of river sy ...

. The Ministry of Transportation and other government bodies are responsible for transportation in Egypt, whether by sea, river, land or air. With regards to rail, air and waterway travel, the main line of the nation's rail system follows along the Nile river and is operated by Egyptian National Railways. In addition to overseas routes, Egypt Air provides domestic air service to major tourist destinations from its Cairo hub. The Nile River system (about ) and the principal canals () are important locally for transportation. People still travel via the Nile, mainly between Cairo and Aswan. The

Suez Canal The Suez Canal (; , ') is an artificial sea-level waterway in Egypt, Indo-Mediterranean, connecting the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea through the Isthmus of Suez and dividing Africa and Asia (and by extension, the Sinai Peninsula from the rest ...

is a major waterway for international commerce and navigation, linking the

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea ( ) is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern ...

and

Red Sea The Red Sea is a sea inlet of the Indian Ocean, lying between Africa and Asia. Its connection to the ocean is in the south, through the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait and the Gulf of Aden. To its north lie the Sinai Peninsula, the Gulf of Aqaba, and th ...

. Major ports are

Alexandria Alexandria ( ; ) is the List of cities and towns in Egypt#Largest cities, second largest city in Egypt and the List of coastal settlements of the Mediterranean Sea, largest city on the Mediterranean coast. It lies at the western edge of the Nile ...

Port Said Port Said ( , , ) is a port city that lies in the northeast Egypt extending about along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, straddling the west bank of the northern mouth of the Suez Canal. The city is the capital city, capital of the Port S ...

Damietta Damietta ( ' ) is a harbor, port city and the capital of the Damietta Governorate in Egypt. It is located at the Damietta branch, an eastern distributary of the Nile Delta, from the Mediterranean Sea, and about north of Cairo. It was a Cath ...

on the Mediterranean and

Suez Suez (, , , ) is a Port#Seaport, seaport city with a population of about 800,000 in north-eastern Egypt, located on the north coast of the Gulf of Suez on the Red Sea, near the southern terminus of the Suez Canal. It is the capital and largest c ...

and Safaga on the Red Sea.

Road system

Egypt has significantly expanded and modernized its road network, primarily through the National Roads Project, which aims to construct 7,000 km of new roads. By 2024, 6,300 km had been completed at a cost of 155 billion Egyptian pounds, increasing the total length of main roads by 29.8% to 30,500 km, compared to 23,500 km in 2014. Additionally, 8,400 km of roads have been upgraded at a cost of 110 billion Egyptian pounds, out of a 10,000 km target. These improvements have enhanced Egypt’s Road Quality Index, which rose from 2.9 points (118th place) in 2015 to 5.53 points (18th place) in 2024. Egypt is integrated into regional road networks, with two routes in the Trans-African Highway network originating in

and multiple highway links connecting to

Asia Asia ( , ) is the largest continent in the world by both land area and population. It covers an area of more than 44 million square kilometres, about 30% of Earth's total land area and 8% of Earth's total surface area. The continent, which ...

through the Arab Mashreq International Road Network. While national highways remain the primary mode of transport, the country has developed an extensive system of 4-lane highways that function as freeways, though they accommodate mixed traffic, making them slower than dedicated motorways. Despite infrastructure improvements, traffic regulations are poorly enforced and frequently disregarded, resulting in one of the highest rates of road fatalities worldwide per miles driven."Egypt"
. Travel.state.gov (March 19, 2008). ''This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the

public domain The public domain (PD) consists of all the creative work to which no Exclusive exclusive intellectual property rights apply. Those rights may have expired, been forfeited, expressly Waiver, waived, or may be inapplicable. Because no one holds ...

.'' Some of the country's major motorways include: * Cairo - Alexandria Desert Road: It runs between

and

, with an extension of , it is the main motorway in Egypt. * International Coastal Road: It runs from

, along the Northern Nile Delta. It has a length of . Also, amongst other cities, it connects

and

Baltim Baltim ( ) is a city in the Kafr El Sheikh Governorate, in the north coast of Egypt. History The second part of the town's name preserves "end, furthest part (of Egypt)". Baltim was the beneficiary of a tax reduction under the reign o ...

. *Geish Road: It runs between

Helwan Helwan ( ', , ) is a suburban district in the Southern Area of Cairo, Egypt. The area of Helwan witnessed prehistoric, ancient Egyptian, Roman and Muslim era activity. More recently it was designated as a city until as late as the 1960s, befor ...

and

Asyut AsyutAlso spelled ''Assiout'' or ''Assiut''. ( ' ) is the capital of the modern Asyut Governorate in Egypt. It was built close to the ancient city of the same name, which is situated nearby. The modern city is located at , while the ancient city i ...

, along the Nile River, also connecting

Beni Suef Beni Suef ( the capital city of the Beni Suef Governorate in Egypt. The city is the location of Beni Suef University. An important agricultural trade centre on the west bank of the Nile River, the city is located 110 km (70 miles) south of ...

and Minya. Its length is . *

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 ...

: It serves as an inner ring-road for

. It has a length of . * Regional Ring Road: It serves as an outer ring road for

, also connecting its suburbs like

and 10th of Ramadan City. Its length is .

Railways

Egypt's railway system is the oldest 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 ...

and the

Middle East The Middle East (term originally coined in English language) is a geopolitical region encompassing the Arabian Peninsula, the Levant, Turkey, Egypt, Iran, and Iraq. The term came into widespread usage by the United Kingdom and western Eur ...

, with its first line between

and Kafr Eissa opening in 1854. As of 2018, the network spans approximately and is operated by Egyptian National Railways, carrying around 800 million passengers and 12 million tonnes of freight annually. A modernization program was initiated in 2007 to enhance safety and infrastructure. In 2021, Egypt signed a $4.5 billion contract with

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, ...

, 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 ...

to construct and maintain a high-speed electrified railway connecting Ain Sokhna,

Mersa Matruh Mersa Matruh (), also transliterated as Marsa Matruh ( Standard Arabic ''Marsā Maṭrūḥ'', ), is a port in Egypt and the capital of Matrouh Governorate. It is located west of Alexandria and east of Sallum on the main highway from the Nile ...

, and

. Known as the "Green Line" or "Suez Canal on Rails," it is designed for both passenger and freight transport. Siemens will supply Velaro high-speed trains, Desiro regional sets, and Vectron freight locomotives. In 2022, the project expanded to include two additional lines linking

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 ...

Aswan Aswan (, also ; ) is a city in Southern Egypt, and is the capital of the Aswan Governorate. Aswan is a busy market and tourist centre located just north of the Aswan Dam on the east bank of the Nile at the first cataract. The modern city ha ...

, and

Luxor Luxor is a city in Upper Egypt. Luxor had a population of 263,109 in 2020, with an area of approximately and is the capital of the Luxor Governorate. It is among the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest continuously inhabited c ...

to Hurghada and Safaga. 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 ...

currently operates three lines, with a fourth under construction and further expansions planned. Additionally, an Alexandria Metro system is under development to improve urban transportation.

Waterways

Egypt has of navigable waterways, including the

Lake Nasser Lake Nasser ( ', ) is a large reservoir (water), reservoir in southern Egypt and northern Sudan. It was created by the construction of the Aswan Dam, Aswan High Dam and is one of the List of reservoirs by volume, largest man-made lakes in the wo ...

, the Mahmudiyya Canal connecting

with the Nile, as well as numerous smaller canals in the

Nile Delta The Nile Delta (, or simply , ) is the River delta, delta formed in Lower Egypt where the Nile River spreads out and drains into the Mediterranean Sea. It is one of the world's larger deltas—from Alexandria in the west to Port Said in the eas ...

. The

, spanning , serves as a major maritime route, accommodating oceangoing vessels with a maximum draft of 17.68 meters (as of 2011).

Nile River

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 ...

system (about ) and the principal canals (1,600 km) are used for local transportation. Motorboats,

ferries A ferry is a boat or ship that transports passengers, and occasionally vehicles and cargo, across a body of water. A small passenger ferry with multiple stops, like those in Venice, Italy, is sometimes referred to as a water taxi or water bus. ...

and feluccas are common means of transport along the Nile.

Suez Canal

The

is a critical maritime corridor connecting the

Mediterranean Sea The Mediterranean Sea ( ) is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern Eur ...

to the

, facilitating global trade since its completion in 1869. Built under the direction of Ferdinand de Lesseps, it established a direct shipping route between

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

and

, significantly reducing travel distances by eliminating the need for passage around the

Cape of Good Hope The Cape of Good Hope ( ) is a rocky headland on the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coast of the Cape Peninsula in South Africa. A List of common misconceptions#Geography, common misconception is that the Cape of Good Hope is the southern tip of Afri ...

. The canal has undergone multiple expansions to meet the growing demands of international shipping. In 2021, over 20,600 vessels transited the canal, averaging 56 ships per day. To enhance capacity, the Egyptian government initiated an expansion project in 2014, widening key sections and increasing the daily transit capacity from 49 to 97 ships. The New Suez Canal, inaugurated in 2015, introduced a parallel lane and deepened sections of the original canal, reducing transit times from 18 to 11 hours and minimizing delays for vessels.

Pipelines

As of 2018, Egypt's pipeline infrastructure includes of condensate pipelines, of condensate/gas pipelines, and an extensive network for natural gas. The country also operates of liquid petroleum gas pipelines, for crude oil, and designated for oil, gas, and water transport. Additionally, Egypt has of refined product pipelines and for water distribution.

Ports

Egypt has 15 commercial ports and 29 specialized ports. The specialized ports include 5 tourist seaports, 12 petroleum seaports, 6 mining seaports, and 6 fishing seaports.

Commercial Ports

* Ain Sokhna Port *

Alexandria Port The Port of Alexandria is located on the northern coast of Egypt, to the West of the Nile Delta. In antiquity Alexandria was built between the Mediterranean Sea and Mariut Lake. The latter was connected to the River Nile via canals, allowing goo ...

* Dekhela Port * Damietta Port * Port Said Port * East Port Said Port * Arish Port * Suez Port * Petroleum Dock Port * Adabiya Port * Sokhna Port * Nuweiba Port * El Tor Port * Sharm El Sheikh Port * Hurghada Port * Safaga Port

Merchant marine

In 2018, the number of Egypt's sea vessels, according to the CIA World Factbook is 399 as follows: *

Bulk carrier A bulk carrier or bulker is a merchant ship specially naval architecture, designed to transport unpackaged bulk cargo—such as Grain trade, grain, coal, ore, steel coils, and cement—in its cargo holds. Since the first specialized bulk carrie ...

: 14 *

Container ship A container ship (also called boxship or spelled containership) is a cargo ship that carries all of its load in truck-size intermodal containers, in a technique called containerization. Container ships are a common means of commercial intermodal ...

: 8 * General cargo: 33 * Petroleum tanker: 36 * Other: 308

Airports

Cairo International Airport is used by numerous international airlines, including the country's own Egypt Air and Nile Air.

Airports with paved runways

''Total:'' 72 ''Over 3,047 m:'' 15 ''2,438 to 3,047 m:'' 36 ''1,524 to 2,437 m:'' 15 ''914 to 1,523 m:'' 0 ''Under 914 m:'' 6

Airports with unpaved runways

''Total:'' 11 ''2,438 to 3,047 m:'' 1 ''1,524 to 2,437 m:'' 3 ''914 to 1,523 m:'' 4 ''Under 914 m:'' 3 (2013)

Heliports

* 7 (2013)

Monorail

Egypt is currently constructing a two-line

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 ...

rapid transit Rapid transit or mass rapid transit (MRT) or heavy rail, commonly referred to as metro, is a type of high-capacity public transport that is generally built in urban areas. A grade separation, grade separated rapid transit line below ground su ...

system in the

region. Upon completion, it is projected to be the longest driverless monorail system in the world. The system will provide the first public transport link between 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 ...

and

6th of October City 6th of October ( ; ) is a city in the Giza Governorate of Egypt. It is a satellite city, located adjacent to Giza, and is part of the Greater Cairo region.

with the greater Cairo metropolitan area. The 53 km line connecting the

to eastern

is expected to have a travel time of approximately 60 minutes, while the 42 km line linking