Egypt’s Ministry of Transport announced on 14 May a 50 percent fare discount on the East Nile Monorail’s first phase, beginning Friday, 15 May, as the government attempts to draw citizens toward visiting the new administrative capital east of Cairo. The discount, which applies every Friday, Saturday, and on official public holidays, will run for three months. Officials framed the move as an effort to ease traffic congestion and offer commuters a modern, affordable alternative to the capital’s notoriously gridlocked roads. The monorail, one of the flagship infrastructure projects of Egypt’s ambitious new capital, connects 16 fully equipped stations, among them Mosque of Al-Fattah Al-Aleem, the Government District, and the City of Arts and Culture, serving a city that President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi has championed as a symbol of national renewal. The ministry said existing discounted fares for senior citizens over 60, and people with disabilities would remain unchanged, as would all subscription plans, weekly, monthly, and quarterly, which already carry discounts of up to 50 percent off the standard ticket price. Officials noted that subscription holders pay roughly a quarter of equivalent private transport costs. The East Nile Monorail…
