Cairo Monorail — East Nile
🚆 Monorail · Driverless GoA4 · Alstom Innovia 300
France lead builder
Africa's first monorail & first driverless line.
Length
56.5 km
Stations
22 (16 open)
Opened
2026
Footfall
up to 45k/hr/dir
metro.ad / Cairo
🇪🇬 Egypt
Cairo
5 transit systems in Cairo, with service running since 1987 — 3 operational and 2 under construction or planned.
5
systems
217 km
operational
61 km
under construction
since 1987
first line
Systems in Cairo
Operational
Cairo Metro
All 29 stations in order →All 28 stations in order →All 20 stations in order →All 35 stations in order →🚆 Heavy metro · 3 lines · conventional heavy metro
Mixed lead builder
Busiest metro in Africa. Line 4 under construction.
Length
~90 km
Stations
~80
Opened
1987
Footfall
~4M/day
Cairo LRT
🚆 Light rail · Semi-automated · China Railway/AVIC-built
China lead builder
Links the New Administrative Capital; expanding toward 105 km.
Length
~70 km
Stations
~19
Opened
2022
Cairo Metro — Line 4 (Ph.1)
🚆 Heavy metro · JICA · Mitsubishi · 6 TBMs
Japan-financed (JICA) · Mitsubishi · Egyptian civils
A mostly-underground east–west line linking 6th of October City to old Cairo — and the first metro to directly serve the Pyramids and the Grand Egyptian Museum. It is being dug with six tunnel-boring machines at once, a first for an Egyptian metro, on a $640 m JICA loan.
Length
19 km
Stations
17
Target
target 2028
Footfall
≈1M→1.5M / day
Broke ground
early 2020s
Est. completion
H1 2028 · target
≈56% complete · 2025 figure
Watch — tunnelling runs directly beneath antiquities near Giza under 24/7 structural monitoring — precise, slow work that resists shortcuts.
Cairo Monorail — West Nile
🚆 Monorail · Driverless GoA4 · Alstom Innovia 300
Alstom-led consortium
The second of Cairo's two driverless monorail lines, running 6th of October City to Giza — the western complement to the East Nile line that opened to passengers in May 2026. Same GoA4 driverless Innovia 300 technology and platform-screen doors.
Length
≈42 km
Stations
≈12
Target
TBC
Footfall
up to 45k/hr/dir
Broke ground
2019
Est. completion
Not yet fixed
Watch — the East line ran years past its original 2022 target before it opened; the West line sits behind it in the queue.
Getting around Cairo
Whether you're visiting Cairo for the first time or navigating it every day, Met Road makes the city easy to move through. Cairo's three metro lines, driverless monorail and LRT form the busiest rapid-transit network on the continent — the Metro was the first in all of Africa and the Arab world (1987), and it's cheap, frequent and genuinely tourist-friendly.
✈️ Arriving in Cairo
The Metro doesn't reach the airport yet (a Line 3 extension is planned but on hold). For now, the cheapest way into the centre is bus 111 or 381 to Ramses Railway Station, where you can pick up the Metro. Or use Uber / Careem from the airport for a fixed price — the easiest option with luggage. A taxi to downtown runs roughly EGP 150–350; always agree the fare first.
Fares
Distance-based by number of stations (raised March 2026): EGP 10 for up to 9 stations, EGP 12 for 10–16, EGP 15 for 17–23, and EGP 20 for 24–39. Students, seniors and disabled travellers get discounts.
Operating hours
Daily from about 05:00 to 01:00, with trains every 3–6 minutes at peak. Hours extend to around 02:00 during Ramadan.
Tickets & payment
Pay with a paper token or a rechargeable smart card (about EGP 65–80). Card-enabled machines are now on Lines 1 and 2; carry small cash as a backup.
Good to know
The Metro is safe for visitors with normal city awareness — just watch for pickpockets in rush-hour crowds. The middle two cars of every train are reserved for women. Signs and station names are in Arabic and English, and Google Maps covers the network well. Operated by the National Authority for Tunnels.
Fares and times change — always confirm with the National Authority for Tunnels before travelling. Last verified July 2026.
Frequently asked questions
Does Cairo have public rail or rapid transit?
Yes. Cairo has 3 operational systems: Cairo Monorail — East Nile, Cairo Metro and Cairo LRT. A further 2 are under construction or in planning.
How many transit systems does Cairo have?
5 in total — Cairo Monorail — East Nile (operational), Cairo Metro (operational), Cairo LRT (operational), Cairo Metro — Line 4 (Ph.1) (under construction) and Cairo Monorail — West Nile (under construction).
Is Cairo Monorail — East Nile driverless?
Yes — Cairo Monorail — East Nile runs on Driverless GoA4 · Alstom Innovia 300, among the most automated transit on the continent.
When will Cairo Metro — Line 4 (Ph.1) open?
It is targeting 2028, reported at around 56% complete as of 2025 figure. Worth noting: tunnelling runs directly beneath antiquities near Giza under 24/7 structural monitoring — precise, slow work that resists shortcuts.
When will Cairo Monorail — West Nile open?
It is TBC. Worth noting: the East line ran years past its original 2022 target before it opened; the West line sits behind it in the queue.
How big is Cairo Monorail — East Nile?
Cairo Monorail — East Nile covers 56.5 km, with 22 (16 open) stations, 2026. Technology: Driverless GoA4 · Alstom Innovia 300.