Minister of Transport Kamel El Wazir inspected on Sunday, June 14, 2026, work sites along the second line of the country's high-speed electric rail network, which runs from October City to Aswan and Abu Simbel over a distance of 1,100 km, reviewing progress on the 210-km stretch between Aswan and Luxor.
The inspection tour came within the framework of directives issued by President Abdel Fattah El Sisi for continuous follow-up of the national high-speed rail network project. During an extensive tour of Aswan and Luxor governorates, Wazir also reviewed a number of transport and development projects being implemented by the ministry.
He was accompanied by Aswan Governor Amr Lashin and Luxor Governor Abdel Mottaleb Emara. The Minister inspected work at nine stations along the Aswan-Luxor section, including three high-speed rail stations and six regional rail stations. The stations are part of the 36 stations planned for the second line of the network, comprising 13 high-speed rail stations and 23 regional stations.
Wazir reviewed progress on station construction, implementation schedules, the investment plans for each station. He instructed contractors to intensify work around the clock and ensure all works are carried out according to the highest quality standards. The Minister said that station locations had been selected to be close to major roads, residential areas and Nile corridor intersections in order to serve residents of Upper Egypt governorates.
He added that access roads to the stations were designed to accommodate traffic from all directions and that parking facilities would be established at stations to connect them with surrounding cities and villages, facilitating travel for passengers. Wazir also reviewed construction of bridges and other engineering structures being carried out by Egyptian national companies, stressing the importance of adhering to high-quality standards given the strategic significance of the line.
He noted that the second high-speed rail line forms part of the Alexandria-Cairo-Aswan-Toshka logistics development corridor, one of whose key objectives is to establish a development corridor west of the Western Desert Road and link agricultural production areas in Toshka, western Aswan and western Minya with consumption centers in Cairo and export hubs in Alexandria.
The project also aims to connect major tourist destinations, including Abu Simbel, Aswan, Luxor, Abydos and Upper Egypt, with the Pyramids and Giza area in Cairo. The Minister said that the second line would facilitate the transport of raw materials and quarry products from production areas in Abu Tartour, Qena and Aswan to export ports, while reducing environmental pollution resulting from diesel locomotive operations.
He added that the three high-speed rail lines would create thousands of direct and indirect jobs and significantly reduce travel times between governorates to less than half the time currently required through the existing rail network or road system.