Egypt 'to upgrade railways and ports'

21 December 2011

Egypt is to conduct a study into its transport system to assess ways of establishing better links between east and west.

Japan has been commissioned to complete the survey on the nation before plans are drawn up, reports the UK's Transport Research Laboratory (TRL).

The plans are likely to include proposals for links between the Red Sea ports and the Mediterranean via roads and railways between Sokhna and Al Dekhaila, in the hope that the north African nation could become a pass out area for goods travelling between the east and west.

In a speech, General Hamaed Hedaya, Egypt's head of sea transport, said that Egyptian ports will need to be upgraded and services improved to ensure they are able to accept larger ships and tankers.

Egypt is one of a number of African nations looking to upgrade its transport infrastructure. South Africa's government recently announced that it is to spend almost £10 billion on improving its railway services.