Tourist trains will run on new routes in the next year and a half
Egypt has announced the launch of a major tourism project on the Mediterranean Sea. A new city called Ras El Hekma will be built on a 170 million square meter area in the western part of the North Coast.
The total investment in the development of Ras El Hekma is $110 billion, with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) as the key investor, while Egypt will receive 35% of the project's profits.
A company from Abu Dhabi will be the general contractor for the first phase, covering 50 million square meters. Ras El Hekma, which will be located 350 km northwest of Cairo, is envisioned as a leading urban, business, and tourism center, offering a wide range of attractions and amenities. The project is being implemented as a fully functional, smart, sustainable, and inclusive urban community set against a picturesque coastline.
Ras El Hekma will feature a "smart city" infrastructure, including digital communication, fiber-optic networks, and 5G, automated management of energy supply, water supply, and waste disposal systems, citywide data monitoring and analytics, as well as smart transportation systems and other mutually agreed-upon "intelligent" city services.
The city is planned to have an international airport and luxury hotels. A high-speed railway will connect the city to the Egyptian capital, which is expected to attract millions of tourists from around the world. The master plan also includes residential areas, office spaces, hospitality venues, retail, leisure, and recreational facilities.
In addition to its tourism focus, Ras El Hekma is designed to become a cultural, sports, entertainment, and business center for the entire North Coast.
Upon completion, the city will be home to two million people, and the total length of green spaces will exceed 40 kilometers, making this megaproject the most environmentally friendly in the region, according to the country's authorities.
The project is scheduled for completion by 2045 and will make Ras El Hekma the largest tourism center in the entire Mediterranean.
