Egypt to build a rail link as an alternative to the blocked Suez Canal

For over a century, the Suez Canal was Egypt's guaranteed commercial artery, handling roughly 12% of global maritime trade. But recent security disruptions in the Red Sea exposed critical vulnerability. Ships were forced to detour around the Cape of Good Hope, transit revenues dropped, and global supply chains were severely disrupted. To protect its economic engine, Cairo is now building a high-speed overland alternative. In addition, we've invested heavily in our infrastructure, be it roads, be it ports, and as well as railroads. to give options to our trading partners, to mobilize their merchandise and to move their merchandise across Egypt, whether through the Suez Canal right away or into the Suez Canal, and then use our network of infrastructure to go to the Mediterranean Sea and get access to the European market. The network is centered on the Suez Canal economic zone, which has attracted over 16 billion dollars in investments. Anchoring the system is an $8.7 billion electrified high-speed rail line stretching 2,000 kilometers across Egypt. Dubbed the Suez Canal on rails, it links Red Sea ports directly to Mediterranean export terminals. Once fully operational, the system will move up to 13 million tons of freight annually, allowing shipping lines to offload cargo on the Red Sea and rail it across the country to bypass maritime bottlenecks. Egypt believes that it puts a lot of resources in investments in the logistics sector, making it easier to partner with the private sector in logistics hubs across the Suez Canal and to make it seamless for global merchandise and global trade. The infrastructure is also designed to serve wider African integration. Under the African Continental Free Trade Area, these land bridges link North African ports to trade corridors extending down into eastern sub-Saharan Africa. By providing faster overland routes to Mediterranean and European markets, Egypt's aim to turn regional supply chains' risk into an engine for continental growth.