Egypt works to make its transport environment-friendly – Minister

Minister of Transport, Kamel al-Wazeer, has said that his ministry focuses on easing the transport of those participating in COP27 in Sharm el-Sheikh to and from the different activities of the conference.

We also focus, the minister said, on facilitating the movement of the conference participants between different areas in the conference centre, including the Green Zone and the Blue Zone through environment-friendly electric means of transport, including electric buses.

The minister noted that 260 electric buses are deployed to serve the conference attendees.

He referred to an alliance between Mansour and General Motors to provide conference participants with transport in and around Sharm el-Sheikh.

"The two companies provide conference participants with environment-friendly transport," the minister told al-Bawaba News on Wednesday on the sidelines of COP27 in Sharm el-Sheikh.

He said those who need transport can get it by signing up to an online application on the official page of the conference.

The application, the minister said, provides conference attendees with smart transport.

Minister al-Wazeer revealed that means of transport are the second major cause of carbon emissions and environmental pollution.

It follows, he said, electricity generation plants.

"Means of transport contribute 25% of overall emissions," the minister said.

He added that his ministry made all preparations for the conference a long time earlier.

The minister noted that his ministry works to convert all means of transport in Egypt to be environment-friendly.

"We are converting the Abu Qir train into an electric one," Minister al-Wazeer said.

He said the train would be called the Alexandria Metro. He added that the conversion of the train includes raising its efficiency.

He noted that the new Alexandria Metro is aspired to have a capacity of 600,000 commuters every day.

This conversion process, the minister said, would turn the train into a good means of mass transportation.

This would also, he said, contribute to reducing carbon emissions because this means of mass transportation would convince motorists to leave their private vehicles aside.

Minister al-Wazeer also dwelt on the downsides of the excess use of private transport as opposed to mass transport.

This private transport, the minister said, also creates congestion.

One bus, he said, can accommodate the number of passengers 50 cars can accommodate.

The minister expressed aspirations that the work of his ministry can contribute to reducing dependence on private vehicles, especially in the Greater Cairo region, Alexandria and other densely populated governorates.

"We work to ensure that the expansion of mass transport," Minister al-Wazeer said.

He added that his ministry also works to ensure that electric and environment-friendly transport is utilized.

He referred to the light rail transit, the electric metro, the electric monorail and the electric express train.

The minister unveiled a plan by his ministry to convert transport in Sharm el-Sheikh; Hurghada; Luxor, and Aswan to become environment-friendly.

He said all means of transport in the four cities would be electric as of the present time.

"Those visiting the four cities will find that electric buses are the main means of transport in them," minister al-Wazeer said.

He added that the 250 electric buses operating in Sharm el-Sheikh at present can accommodate 40,000 passengers.

Similar buses, the minister said, would be available in the other three cities.

The minister noted that the 250 buses operating during the climate conference in Sharm el-Sheikh would be distributed to Cairo, Alexandria after the conference.

Minister al-Wazeer referred to co-operation with the German side, including German multinational conglomerate corporation Siemens.

He said this co-operation covers the development of local railways, the high-speed electric train, and the Metro.

The minister noted that his ministry also co-operates with the French multinational company, Thales Group, in executing the monorail project and the Abu Qir Metro project.

"We had a meeting with the head of the World Maritime Organization yesterday," the minister said.

The man at the helm of this organization, the minister said, is concerned with converting seaports into green ones.

The minister noted that Egypt would head the next session of the organization.

"This means that there is no pollution our ports," the minister said. "It also means that there is enough green space in these ports."