Transport Minister Hisham Arafat said on Saturday that upgrading the railway signaling system aims at achieving the highest level of safety by using an electronic system (EIS) instead of the old fashioned one.
The minister was visiting the signaling control tower of Berket el Sabaa railway station in Monofiya that was operated within the framework of the ministry’s plan to develop signaling and communication systems on Cairo-Alexandria line.
Arafat said that the new system will enable trains to run at 160 km/h instead of 120 km/h while providing more safety as trains' move will be controlled through technological equipment to minimize depending on human factor.
Such system will result in increasing the number of trains while reducing the time of the journey and providing more security for commuters, Arafat noted.
The minister underlined that the new signaling system is being implemented by Thales international company.
The trains’ movement will be monitored and screened on computers while drivers will be able to communicate with control tower's operators in case of emergencies, Arafat expounded.
Within the new signaling system, breakdowns can be immediately detected and monitored, and even conversations by the operators will be recorded, Arafat added.
The upgrading system will also include developing level crossings through providing them with bells, lights and automatic gates to avoid accidents, Arafat noted.
The transportation ministry is implementing a number of major projects aiming at developing main railway signaling system at a cost of one billion dollars.
Development projects include upgrading Cairo-Alexandria line, Beni Suef-Assiut line that are funded by the World Bank while Benha-Zagazig -Ismailia-Port Said line is funded by Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development and the Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development. 

Source: Mena