Egypt’s Rail Megaproject Aims to Become the Suez Canal on Land
Right now, Egypt is quietly working on a massive infrastructure project that could reshape how goods and people move across the country, and even how the world looks at Egyptian logistics. It’s being described as a megaproject that could rival the importance of the Suez Canal, not by replacing it, but by complementing it on land.
What’s being built is a high-speed rail line known as the Green Line. This railway will stretch for roughly 600 kilometers, linking the Red Sea to the Mediterranean. Construction is already underway in the desert east of Cairo, where workers have been seen laying tracks under a $4.5 billion contract led by a consortium that includes German engineering giant Siemens. Once completed, this rail corridor will connect the Red Sea port of Ain Sokhna with Mediterranean ports such as Alexandria and Marsa Matrouh.
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The importance of this project goes far beyond just faster trains. The Green Line is meant to serve as the backbone of a much larger high-speed rail network, eventually totaling around 2,000 kilometers. This wider network is being designed to link seaports, industrial zones, agricultural regions, logistics hubs, and new urban communities across Egypt. Authorities have said the goal is to reduce travel times, lower carbon dioxide emissions, and support long-term, sustainable economic growth.
It has been estimated that the revamped rail system could carry around 15 million tonnes of cargo each year. To put that into perspective, that figure is equal to roughly 3 percent of the cargo volume that passed through the Suez Canal last year. While that may sound small at first, it’s significant when you consider that the Suez Canal handles about 12 percent of global shipping and remains one of Egypt’s most critical sources of revenue.
Importantly, officials have stressed that this rail corridor is not meant to compete with or bypass the Suez Canal. Instead, it is intended to complement it by forming a direct Red Sea–Mediterranean link on land. At a time when Red Sea shipping has faced repeated disruptions due to regional conflicts, this added layer of connectivity is being seen as a strategic advantage.
Siemens Mobility has already begun testing its Desiro High-Capacity passenger trains on newly built tracks near Cairo. These trains are expected to operate on the Green Line, which has often been nicknamed the “Suez Canal on rails.” According to Siemens, the broader rail network will eventually rank as the sixth largest high-speed rail system in the world.
Looking ahead, Egypt hopes to complete the Green Line by 2027 or 2028. Two additional lines are planned as well: the Blue Line running along the Nile from Cairo to Aswan, and the Red Line linking Red Sea cities like Hurghada and Safaga to Luxor. Together, these projects signal Egypt’s ambition to transform its transport infrastructure for generations to come.
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