First high-speed rail line from Ain Sokhna to Marsa Matrouh targeted for July 2027

Egypt’s first high-speed railway is now expected to carry passengers from July 2027. Transport Minister Kamel El-Wazir gave the tentative date on 30 September 2026 in an interview with Channel One’s programme Men Maspero, as reported by Ahram Online and Egyptian Streets. Earlier plans had foreseen trial runs on sections of the line from September 2026, followed by about six months of testing.

The first line

• Route: Ain Sokhna on the Red Sea to Marsa Matrouh on the Mediterranean, via Cairo, Alexandria and New Alamein.
• Length: 660 km with 21 stations and a central control centre.
• Speeds: high-speed trains up to 250 km/h; regional trains serving intermediate stations up to 160 km/h; electric freight locomotives up to 120 km/h.
• Journey times: Cairo to Marsa Matrouh in about 2 to 2.5 hours; Ain Sokhna to Marsa Matrouh in about 3 to 3.5 hours.
• Fleet: 15 high-speed trains, 34 regional trains and 14 freight locomotives.

The line will connect with the Light Rail Transit (LRT) at Capital Central Station in the New Administrative Capital.

The wider network

The first three lines of the network total about 2,000 km, and the full network under construction is planned at about 2,250 km. A second line is planned from 6th of October City through Upper Egypt to Abu Simbel, and a third from Qena to Hurghada and Safaga on the Red Sea coast. No passenger dates have been announced for those lines.

What it means for visitors

Until the line opens, travel between Cairo, Alexandria and the North Coast continues by the existing Egyptian National Railways services, road or domestic flights. We will update this guide when ticketing and timetables are published.

Sources: english.ahram.org.eg, egyptianstreets.com.