Egypt’s Train Derailed
At least three were killed and 94 were injured when a passenger train derailed in western Egypt on Saturday, the latest to hit the country’s troubled railway system.
The train was carrying passengers from the coastal Matrouh province along the Mediterranean to Cairo when seven of its carriages derailed, two of them overturning, railway authorities said. Ambulances sped to the scene, with the Health Ministry verifying that 30 emergency vehicles were dispatched to take the injured to nearby hospitals. Authorities have instituted an investigation to find out why the accident occurred.
Repeating Pattern of Railway Accidents
Train derailments and collisions are all too frequent in Egypt, whose rail network one of the oldest in the Middle East has for a long time been suffering from substandard maintenance, antiquated infrastructure, and incompetence.
Only last October, a train crashed into the rear of another outside Cairo, killing one passenger and injuring a number of others. In 2021, a devastating crash in southern Egypt killed 32 and injured over 100 after emergency brakes were reportedly activated by error. These recurrent disasters have undermined public trust in one of the nation’s most critical transportation systems.
Calls for Reform and Investment
Egyptian authorities have accepted the magnitude of the issue, promising ambitious improvements to the country’s dilapidated rail system. In 2018, President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi said that as much as 250 billion Egyptian pounds then worth more than $5 billion would be needed to modernize and revamp the nation’s neglected rail system.
Even with promises of investment, things have moved slowly, and Saturday’s derailment puts the pressure on to upgrade safety standards and monitoring. For Egyptian commuters who use trains for cheap travel, each fresh accident makes one wonder if the system can be relied on.
ALSO READ: After al-Rahawi’s Death, This Person Takes Charge- Likely Next Houthi PM
Public Outcry and Growing Pressure
The recent crash has again raised public outrage, with people calling for action to be taken against long-standing safety inadequacies. Experts say unless there is rapid and open reform, Egypt will face further disasters and increased social discontent.
For now, grieving families and survivors face the devastating consequences of another preventable accident. As investigations continue, the question remains whether this disaster will finally spur meaningful reform in Egypt’s railway sector or become yet another entry in a tragic list of recurring rail mishaps.
