Egyptian State Railways

In 1851 the Regent of Egypt and Sudan, Abbas I, contracted Robert Stephenson to build Egypt's first standard gauge railway. Construction began on the line in 1851 and in 1854 a section was opened from Alexandria to the village of Kafr El-Eiss. In 1856 the entire single track line was opened with 12 stations including the main stations of Cairo (constructed in 1855) and Alexandria (constructed in 1854). In 1919, the railways became entrusted to the Ministry of Communications and in 1953, Egypt became a republic and Egyptian State Railways changed to become Egyptian Republic Railways.