Egypt's railway network struggles with a poor safety record. The Toukh rail accident in April, pictured above, left 23 people dead and 139 injured. Photo: AFP
Egypt's railway network struggles with a poor safety record. The Toukh rail accident in April, pictured above, left 23 people dead and 139 injured. Photo: AFP
Egypt's railway network struggles with a poor safety record. The Toukh rail accident in April, pictured above, left 23 people dead and 139 injured. Photo: AFP
Egypt's railway network struggles with a poor safety record. The Toukh rail accident in April, pictured above, left 23 people dead and 139 injured. Photo: AFP

300,000 train passengers a day try to dodge fares on Egypt railways


Hamza Hendawi
  • English
  • Arabic

Up to 300,000 rail passengers in Egypt try to dodge paying for their train rides every day, with as many as 50,000 succeeding in cheating the struggling state railway service out of a fare.

Railway chief Mustafa Abul Makarem said most fare-dodging took place on rural train services, not on intercity connections, which have stricter measures in place.

The revelation in a TV interview on Saturday night expands the catalogue of woes plaguing Egypt’s railway service.

Egypt’s railway authority has 10,000km of track and employs nearly 45,000 people. Its first route was built in 1854. Two years later, the Mediterranean city of Alexandria and Cairo were linked by rail.

The service’s fares remain among the world’s cheapest despite several increases in recent years. Mr Abul Makarem said one million passengers use the service every day, with the authority collecting just 3.5 to 4 billion pounds ($223 to $254 million) a year in fares.

As well as hundreds of accidents a year – many of them too minor to be reported by local media – passengers regularly endure delays, overcrowding and technical glitches. Thousands of hawkers roam the trains and stations, selling a wide range of food, beverages and other items.

President Abdel Fattah El Sisi’s government has pledged to improve the service, with plans to spend 225bn pounds until 2024 on overhauling it.

Mr Abul Makarem said train stations across the nation last week raised the price to enter platforms for non-ticket holders seeing off friends or family from one pound to three ($0.19).

He said the higher cost for a platform pass would deter many fare dodgers in rural areas to whom a one-pound pass was cheaper than a ticket.

“The raise is also meant to ensure the comfort and safety of passengers by reducing the number of non-ticket holders on platforms,” Mr Abul Makarem said.

An overcrowded train in Egypt. Reuters.
An overcrowded train in Egypt. Reuters.

Fare dodgers in Egypt dangerously ride on the roof of trains, mostly on rural services. They also hide in the toilets or move between cars to avoid conductors.

Offenders who are caught are routinely made to pay the fare plus a fine. Those who refuse are handed over to the authorities at the next stop or placed under arrest by onboard police officers.

Transport Minister Kamel El Wazir, a retired army general who took the job in 2019, warned in June that he would invite foreign companies to run the railways if negligence and apathy among employees persisted.

His threat was made in the immediate aftermath of two train accidents on consecutive days that left two people dead and more than 40 injured.

The accidents in Cairo and Alexandria followed a series of deadly train disasters in March and April that killed at least 43 and injured hundreds.

What is a robo-adviser?

Robo-advisers use an online sign-up process to gauge an investor’s risk tolerance by feeding information such as their age, income, saving goals and investment history into an algorithm, which then assigns them an investment portfolio, ranging from more conservative to higher risk ones.

These portfolios are made up of exchange traded funds (ETFs) with exposure to indices such as US and global equities, fixed-income products like bonds, though exposure to real estate, commodity ETFs or gold is also possible.

Investing in ETFs allows robo-advisers to offer fees far lower than traditional investments, such as actively managed mutual funds bought through a bank or broker. Investors can buy ETFs directly via a brokerage, but with robo-advisers they benefit from investment portfolios matched to their risk tolerance as well as being user friendly.

Many robo-advisers charge what are called wrap fees, meaning there are no additional fees such as subscription or withdrawal fees, success fees or fees for rebalancing.

Company Profile

Name: Thndr
Started: 2019
Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Sector: FinTech
Headquarters: Egypt
UAE base: Hub71, Abu Dhabi
Current number of staff: More than 150
Funds raised: $22 million

The biog

Hometown: Cairo

Age: 37

Favourite TV series: The Handmaid’s Tale, Black Mirror

Favourite anime series: Death Note, One Piece and Hellsing

Favourite book: Designing Brand Identity, Fifth Edition

The 12 Syrian entities delisted by UK 

Ministry of Interior
Ministry of Defence
General Intelligence Directorate
Air Force Intelligence Agency
Political Security Directorate
Syrian National Security Bureau
Military Intelligence Directorate
Army Supply Bureau
General Organisation of Radio and TV
Al Watan newspaper
Cham Press TV
Sama TV

Key 2013/14 UAE Motorsport dates

October 4: Round One of Rotax Max Challenge, Al Ain (karting)

October 1: 1 Round One of the inaugural UAE Desert Championship (rally)

November 1-3: Abu Dhabi Grand Prix (Formula One)

November 28-30: Dubai International Rally

January 9-11: 24Hrs of Dubai (Touring Cars / Endurance)

March 21: Round 11 of Rotax Max Challenge, Muscat, Oman (karting)

April 4-10: Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge (Endurance)

Star%20Wars%3A%20Episode%20I%20%E2%80%93%20The%20Phantom%20Menace
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDeveloper%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Big%20Ape%20Productions%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPublisher%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20LucasArts%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EConsoles%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20PC%2C%20PlayStation%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Specs

Engine: 2-litre

Transmission: Eight-speed automatic

Power: 255hp

Torque: 273Nm

Price: Dh240,000

In-demand jobs and monthly salaries
  • Technology expert in robotics and automation: Dh20,000 to Dh40,000 
  • Energy engineer: Dh25,000 to Dh30,000 
  • Production engineer: Dh30,000 to Dh40,000 
  • Data-driven supply chain management professional: Dh30,000 to Dh50,000 
  • HR leader: Dh40,000 to Dh60,000 
  • Engineering leader: Dh30,000 to Dh55,000 
  • Project manager: Dh55,000 to Dh65,000 
  • Senior reservoir engineer: Dh40,000 to Dh55,000 
  • Senior drilling engineer: Dh38,000 to Dh46,000 
  • Senior process engineer: Dh28,000 to Dh38,000 
  • Senior maintenance engineer: Dh22,000 to Dh34,000 
  • Field engineer: Dh6,500 to Dh7,500
  • Field supervisor: Dh9,000 to Dh12,000
  • Field operator: Dh5,000 to Dh7,000
Updated: September 23, 2021, 11:48 AM