Egypt reroutes rail routes after train derails

Egyptian authorities on Monday rerouted trains travelling in the north of the country after a passenger train derailed, causing fatalities and injuries among civilians.

State-owned newspaper Al-Ahram quoted an unnamed source from the Egyptian National Railways  (ENR) as saying: “It was decided to change the course of all trains on the longitudinal lines to and from Lower Egypt (north) until the wagons of the derailed train are removed.”

For the third time in less than a month, a passenger train derailed in the Qalyubiya governorate on Sunday, leading to the death of 23 people and the injury of 139 others after eight of the train’s carriages derailed near the Toukh station.

On 26 March, two passenger trains collided in the southern governorate of Sohag, which caused the death of 32 people and injured 165 others.

On 15 April, two train carriages derailed in the governorate of Sharqia, injuring 15 people.

In May 2018, Egypt’s Central Agency for Mobilization and Statistics (CAPMAS) announced in a statement that the main cause of train accidents is human error, followed by vehicle defects and bad weather conditions.

READ: MPs demand Egypt’s transport minister be held accountable for train crash