Up to 300,000 rail passengers in Egypt try to dodge paying for their train rides every day, with as many as 50,000 succeeding in cheating the struggling state railway service out of a fare.
Railway chief Mustafa Abul Makarem said most fare-dodging took place on rural train services, not on intercity connections, which have stricter measures in place.
The revelation in a TV interview on Saturday night expands the catalogue of woes plaguing Egypt’s railway service.
Egypt’s railway authority has 10,000km of track and employs nearly 45,000 people. Its first route was built in 1854. Two years later, the Mediterranean city of Alexandria and Cairo were linked by rail.
The service’s fares remain among the world’s cheapest despite several increases in recent years. Mr Abul Makarem said one million passengers use the service every day, with the authority collecting just 3.5 to 4 billion pounds ($223 to $254 million) a year in fares.
As well as hundreds of accidents a year – many of them too minor to be reported by local media – passengers regularly endure delays, overcrowding and technical glitches. Thousands of hawkers roam the trains and stations, selling a wide range of food, beverages and other items.
President Abdel Fattah El Sisi’s government has pledged to improve the service, with plans to spend 225bn pounds until 2024 on overhauling it.
Mr Abul Makarem said train stations across the nation last week raised the price to enter platforms for non-ticket holders seeing off friends or family from one pound to three ($0.19).
He said the higher cost for a platform pass would deter many fare dodgers in rural areas to whom a one-pound pass was cheaper than a ticket.
“The raise is also meant to ensure the comfort and safety of passengers by reducing the number of non-ticket holders on platforms,” Mr Abul Makarem said.
Fare dodgers in Egypt dangerously ride on the roof of trains, mostly on rural services. They also hide in the toilets or move between cars to avoid conductors.
Offenders who are caught are routinely made to pay the fare plus a fine. Those who refuse are handed over to the authorities at the next stop or placed under arrest by onboard police officers.
Transport Minister Kamel El Wazir, a retired army general who took the job in 2019, warned in June that he would invite foreign companies to run the railways if negligence and apathy among employees persisted.
His threat was made in the immediate aftermath of two train accidents on consecutive days that left two people dead and more than 40 injured.
The accidents in Cairo and Alexandria followed a series of deadly train disasters in March and April that killed at least 43 and injured hundreds.
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Wicked: For Good
Director: Jon M Chu
Starring: Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, Jonathan Bailey, Jeff Goldblum, Michelle Yeoh, Ethan Slater
Rating: 4/5
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Director: Scott Cooper
Starring: Jeremy Allen White, Odessa Young, Jeremy Strong
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- Riders must be 14-years-old or over
- Wear a protective helmet
- Park the electric scooter in designated parking lots (if any)
- Do not leave electric scooter in locations that obstruct traffic or pedestrians
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The five pillars of Islam
Company%20profile
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Name: Salvador Toriano Jr
Age: 59
From: Laguna, The Philippines
Favourite dish: Seabass or Fish and Chips
Hobbies: When he’s not in the restaurant, he still likes to cook, along with walking and meeting up with friends.
Gifts exchanged
- King Charles - replica of President Eisenhower Sword
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- Donald Trump - hand-bound leather book with Declaration of Independence
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Groom and Two Brides
Director: Elie Semaan
Starring: Abdullah Boushehri, Laila Abdallah, Lulwa Almulla
Rating: 3/5
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
RESULT
Aston Villa 1
Samatta (41')
Manchester City 2
Aguero (20')
Rodri (30')
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
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50-man Royal Rumble
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Casket match The Undertaker v Chris Jericho
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Matches to be announced
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if you go
The flights
Etihad and Emirates fly direct to Kolkata from Dh1,504 and Dh1,450 return including taxes, respectively. The flight takes four hours 30 minutes outbound and 5 hours 30 minute returning.
The trains
Numerous trains link Kolkata and Murshidabad but the daily early morning Hazarduari Express (3’ 52”) is the fastest and most convenient; this service also stops in Plassey. The return train departs Murshidabad late afternoon. Though just about feasible as a day trip, staying overnight is recommended.
The hotels
Mursidabad’s hotels are less than modest but Berhampore, 11km south, offers more accommodation and facilities (and the Hazarduari Express also pauses here). Try Hotel The Fame, with an array of rooms from doubles at Rs1,596/Dh90 to a ‘grand presidential suite’ at Rs7,854/Dh443.
Tell Me Who I Am
Director: Ed Perkins
Stars: Alex and Marcus Lewis
Four stars
Polarised public
31% in UK say BBC is biased to left-wing views
19% in UK say BBC is biased to right-wing views
19% in UK say BBC is not biased at all
Source: YouGov
Ammar 808:
Maghreb United
Sofyann Ben Youssef
Glitterbeat
Dust and sand storms compared
Sand storm
- Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
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Dust storm
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Reputation
Taylor Swift
(Big Machine Records)
Terror attacks in Paris, November 13, 2015
- At 9.16pm, three suicide attackers killed one person outside the Atade de France during a foootball match between France and Germany
- At 9.25pm, three attackers opened fire on restaurants and cafes over 20 minutes, killing 39 people
- Shortly after 9.40pm, three other attackers launched a three-hour raid on the Bataclan, in which 1,500 people had gathered to watch a rock concert. In total, 90 people were killed
- Salah Abdeslam, the only survivor of the terrorists, did not directly participate in the attacks, thought to be due to a technical glitch in his suicide vest
- He fled to Belgium and was involved in attacks on Brussels in March 2016. He is serving a life sentence in France
