Cairo Metro Line 3 - Construction

Construction

Construction began in 2006, with the first section opening on February 21, 2012. The line comprises 29 stations, out of which 2 will be on grade and the remaining 27 stations underground. The tunnel shall be a bored tunnel and the stations shall be executed by the cut and cover method. The entire line 3 is expected to be fully operational by October 2019.

The implementation of Line No. 3 will start with Attaba to Abbasia section, the first phase, followed by the second phase from Abbasia to Heliopolis, which are the most urgent sections for the transportation needs. The design of phase 1 is taking into consideration the safe crossing of two major underground structures; namely, the line 2 bored tunnel at Attaba and the wastewater spine tunnel north of Attaba. It is also planned that some of the underground stations will be extensively used as commercial centres. These stations will be constructed by the cut-and-cover method and the rolling stock will be fed by power through a third rail. Orascom Construction Industries won the tender for 1 billion EGP for the construction of the first phase of the project. The line has trains supplied by a joint venture of Kinki Sharyo and Toshiba and a contactless fare collection system and integrated supervision and communication system supplied by the Thales Group. France provided a 280 million dollar loan for the second phase of the project to French companies involved in the project.

Phase 1 was opened on 21 February 2012. This first phase includes five underground stations (Attaba, Bab el Shaaria, El Geish, Abdou Pasha and Abbasia) and serves the eastern part of Cairo from the city centre. 3,500 people, including 85 expatriate staff, worked on this project, which took 51 months to complete. The project was built by a consortium, led by VINCI Construction Grands Projets, comprising Bouygues Travaux Publics, Orascom and Arab Contractors. The first phase cost a total of 4.2 billion LE ($700 million) and will transport between 250,000 and 300,000 passengers per day. Phase 1 civil engineering contract covered construction of a 4.3 km tunnel section and five stations. Meanwhile, VINCI subsidiary ETF-Eurovia Travaux Ferroviaires led the consortium responsible for the track works package. This included the supply and laying of 11 km of track and the power rail in the tunnel. In September 2009, work on the phase 1 was delayed after a landslide hit the construction site on Al-Gueich Street.

Phase 2 is currently 75% completed and led by consortium with VINCI, Bouygues Travaux Publics, Orascom and Arab Contractors which is 6.5 km tunnel. Construction work on Phase 2 has begun in mid-2009 and will run from Abbassiya Station till Haroun Station in Heliopolis, with five stations to be constructed, Cairo Fairground, The Stadium, Koleyet El-Banat, Al-Ahram and Haroun. This phase has a completion date set at October 2013.

Phase 3 was set to begin in 2011 but was delayed due to the recent uprising in Egypt. The construction began in January 2012. This is the western branch of Line 3, this phase will connect Attaba Station with the already existing Gamal Abdel Nasser Station through Emad El-Din Street with a new station built in between, it will then continue on its way onto Maspero (New Station) and run under both branches of the Nile passing through Zamalek island and ending at Sphinx Square Station. Completion date is set at October 2015.

Phase 4 is scheduled to begin in 2013 will be starting from Sphinx Square Station it will split into two branches with on heading towards Imbaba and the other toward Mohandessin with two stations on the Imbama branch (Kit Kat Station and Sudan Street Station) and three stations on the Mohandessin branch (Mustafa Mahmoud Station, Shehab Street Station and Lebanon Square Station). This phase is set for a completion date of October 2017.

Phase 5 Is the final phase in Line 3 which has a starting date set at 2015 with a plan for it to continue where it originally left off on the Eastern side of the line completing its path toward Cairo International Airport, running through Heliopolis Square and Ain Shams district, with seven stations to be constructed. This phase is set for a completion date of October 2019.