ALEXANDRIA, Egypt, July 14 (MENA) – Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly underlined Monday the government’s keenness to closely follow up on the progress of various projects underway in Alexandria across multiple sectors, aimed at boosting the city’s standing as a prime economic and tourist destination while preserving its historical and cultural character.

The remarks came as Madbouly visited Alexandria, starting at the governorate headquarters, where he reviewed key completed and ongoing projects during a meeting attended by Housing Minister Sherif El Sherbiny, Alexandria Governor Ahmed Khaled Hassan Saeed, Deputy Housing Minister Sayed Ismail, Deputy Governor Amira Salah Abdel Hakim, Head of the Central Agency for Reconstruction Mahmoud Nassar, and Federation of Egyptian Chambers of Commerce Chairman Ahmed El Wakil.

During the meeting, Alexandria's governor presented an overview of major projects in the governorate.

He said 63 projects worth about EGP 90.5 billion have been completed, with another 31 currently under implementation.

Highlighting the transport sector, Saeed noted around 200 km of roads have been rehabilitated or newly built, with nine major road projects underway covering 117 km, including the significant expansion of the Alexandria Corniche. Road enhancements also include 6.3 km of traffic improvement works.

On public transport, the governor reviewed progress on the Abu Qir Metro project, expected to handle over 40,000 passengers per hour and cut travel time to around 25 minutes, easing chronic congestion. He also detailed the development of the Raml Tram project, set to raise capacity from 80,000 to 450,000 daily passengers along a 13.1 km line with 24 stations.

He added that the public transport authority carries about 250,000 passengers daily, operating 212 buses on 85 routes. The governor further outlined Alexandria’s green transport initiatives, noting the current fleet of 55 electric buses and plans to convert 200 buses to natural gas. Madbouly instructed that immediate steps be taken to facilitate this conversion.

The meeting also touched on Alexandria’s cooperation with international donors to implement new projects in health, education, and infrastructure. The governor showcased tourism investment opportunities involving plots designated for international hotels. Madbouly ordered that a meeting be scheduled soon to discuss these prospects.

Addressing the issue of unsafe buildings, Madbouly urged the preparation of a new housing project, with a clear financing mechanism, to relocate residents of buildings marked for demolition. The governor confirmed detailed records exist for these buildings.

He also instructed conducting an immediate survey to identify land plots to accommodate 60,000 new housing units for these residents, stressing that work on this lifesaving project should start without delay.

Sherbiny said coordination with the governorate would ensure the required plots of land are provided.

Looking ahead to the summer of 2025, the governor highlighted measures to upgrade beach safety by training lifeguards, supplying modern rescue tools, coordinating with meteorology authorities, and managing beach crowding with hourly occupancy monitoring. The electronic beach booking system, allowing reservations 48 hours in advance, has also been activated, he said.

Plans for unified designs of beach gates, fences, umbrellas, kiosks, and lifeguard towers equipped with loudspeakers, plus added green spaces, were also presented.

Discussions covered as well efforts to improve cleanliness, including waste removal and public awareness campaigns, which are underway in collaboration with Nahdet Misr company. Surveillance measures involve inspectors on each beach, hotlines for public complaints, ambulance and police stations along the Corniche, and direct links between inspectors and the central operations room for rapid intervention, according to the governor.

The governor also reported that Alexandria achieved 99.96% completion in the spatial change monitoring system, with over 56,400 changes recorded. He highlighted the expansion of one-day markets across the city to make basic goods more accessible at affordable prices. (MENA)

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