Egyptian Chronicles: Egyptian X-Files: Why do trains crash in Giza’s Ayyat?

Once again, Egypt started the news cycle of the week with bad news that made headlines around the world.

Seven people were killed and 125 injured when two passenger trains collided in Giza’s Al-Ayyat district on Sunday, 8 November, in another deadly railway accident that has renewed questions about railway safety and operational oversight in Egypt.

The collision occurred between Kafr Ammar and Al-Raqqa stations when passenger train No. 134, a Tahya Misr service travelling from Giza to Fayoum, struck the rear of stationary train No. 2010, which was travelling from Cairo to Aswan.

The impact caused several carriages to derail.

The trains' collision in Al-Ayyat last Sunday

According to the Ministry of Health and Population, 72 ambulances were deployed to evacuate the casualties, while nearby hospitals in Al-Ayyat, Al-Wasta and Atfih received the injured and the bodies of those killed.

Preliminary findings by the Public Prosecution indicated that the driver of train No. 134, who died in the accident, had switched off the train’s automatic train control (ATC) system, while the station controller and stationmaster at Al-Raqqa station had allegedly failed to monitor the signalling control panel.

The prosecution ordered their detention pending investigations. It subsequently commissioned a committee of engineering professors from Cairo University to conduct a comprehensive technical examination of the railway's operating and safety systems, signalling equipment and the circumstances surrounding the collision.

Meanwhile, Egypt's controversial Transport Minister, Major General Kamel El-Wazir, is once again under fire as public anger grows over the road and railway accidents during his tenure, which keep piling up, much like the loans taken out by his ministry, adding to Egypt's mounting debt burden.

The trains on Monday 9 November in Al-Ayyat by Mohamed Saad
"Documentaries 2000 FB page"

El-Wazir is expected to remain in his post. However, in an unfortunate coincidence for him, Sunday's Al-Ayyat train disaster came just days after Spain's Transport Minister, Óscar Puente, announced his resignation following two deadly railway accidents in less than a year.

The first was the Adamuz train disaster in January 2026, which killed 46 people, while the second was the Urda train collision on 28 October, which claimed 69 lives.

"A transport minister in a country like Spain cannot continue in office with two accidents of this severity in less than a year," Puente told Spanish lawmakers on 3 November as he announced his decision.

Amid all this, I could not help thinking that this was yet another deadly train accident in the city of Al-Ayyat.

Removing the trains on 9 November during the golden hour in Al-Ayyat
by Anadolu

Al-Ayyat, south of Giza, has witnessed a series of deadly railway accidents over the past two decades, including major fires, train collisions, derailments and level-crossing incidents.

So far, there have been at least 16 major train accidents in Al-Ayyat district alone between 2002 and 8 November 2026. I could not find records of anything older, given the difficulty of accessing Egyptian press archives online.

A timeline of unfortunate events

People cannot remember anything older than, or that happened before, Egypt's deadliest railway accident, which took place in Al-Ayyat, also known as the Upper Egypt train tragedy.

On 20 February 2002, shortly after 11 carriages of passenger train No. 832 left Al-Ayyat, near Mit al-Qaid, a fire broke out and spread through several carriages as the train continued travelling from Cairo to Aswan.

Yes, this is one of the least graphic photos from that train
The bodies were so burned and charred that they became like part of the train.

The initial death toll announced by officials at the time was 383, all Egyptians. The exact number of victims remains uncertain. The photograph of a mother carrying her baby, with both their bodies charred as they attempted to escape through a train window, is still engraved in my mind and in the minds of my generation.

On 24 October 2009, two passenger trains collided near Kafr Gharza (Guerzah) in Al-Ayyat after one train reportedly stopped following a collision with a buffalo and was struck from behind by another train. Egypt's Health Ministry revised the death toll to 18, with 39 injured, although earlier reports gave higher figures.

On 31 January 2016, a Cairo–Asyut passenger train (No. 987) struck a pickup truck carrying workers at the Al-Balida level crossing in Al-Ayyat, killing seven people and injuring three. Reports differed over whether the crossing gate had been closed and who was responsible for the accident.

On 7 September 2016, three carriages of train No. 80, travelling from Cairo to Upper Egypt, derailed in the Abu El-Azaim area of Al-Ayyat, killing five people and injuring 27. Initial reports pointed to a sudden change of track as a possible cause.

On 31 December 2016, passenger train No. 974 collided with a microbus attempting to cross the railway tracks in the El-Atf area of Al-Ayyat, killing at least two people. Local sources told Ahram that the crossing operator had allegedly been asleep at the time.

On 9 May 2017, train No. 996 (Aswan–Cairo) hit a tractor carrying bricks at the Al-Atf crossing. Upper Egypt train services were halted, but there were no casualties or injuries.

On 6 August 2017, a man was struck and killed by a train in Al-Ayyat while attempting to catch a train to work. According to eyewitnesses, his foot became trapped between the rails.

On 30 January 2019, train No. 87 (Aswan–Cairo) hit a stalled truck at Bagat El-Sheikh crossing in Al-Ayyat, bringing train services to a halt for 1.5 hours. No casualties were reported.

Between 15 and 28 July 2026, several separate incidents involving railway crossings and pedestrian deaths occurred in the villages of Bahbit and Al-Atf in Al-Ayyat, including an incident in which a father and son were killed. At least three people were killed and one injured.

On 10 September 2026, two freight trains collided at Al-Balyada station in Al-Ayyat, injuring the driver and his assistant and derailing a locomotive and two wagons. Transport Minister Kamel El-Wazir ordered the formation of a technical committee to investigate the circumstances and causes of the accident.

Then came the collision of 8 November 2026, when passenger train No. 134, a Tahya Misr service travelling from Giza to Fayoum, collided with the rear of stationary train No. 2010, travelling from Cairo to Aswan, between Kafr Ammar and Al-Raqqa stations in Al-Ayyat.

The deadliest accident by far was the train fire of 20 February 2002, which claimed between 361 and 383 lives.

The latest was the 8 November 2026 collision, which killed seven people and injured between 112 and 125.

Looking back at this timeline, there does not appear to be one common cause behind all these accidents. Their circumstances varied, ranging from train fires and derailments to collisions with vehicles, level-crossing incidents and pedestrian deaths.

However, a recurring pattern emerges: a combination of human negligence or error, inadequate maintenance, ageing railway infrastructure, signalling deficiencies and poor operational oversight. In several incidents, official reports pointed to individual negligence, while others raised questions about the condition of railway equipment, safety procedures and the effectiveness of the signalling system.

In other words, Al-Ayyat's railway tragedies cannot simply be attributed to individual mistakes; they also reflect longstanding structural and institutional shortcomings in Egypt's railway network.

Where did the Ayyat WB loan go?

We may eventually learn why trains keep crashing in Al-Ayyat through a genuine investigative report featuring proper journalism and interviews with railway officials and experts, as well as local residents of Al-Ayyat, by Mada Masr or Matsdaash, but unfortunately we can't now.

Nevertheless, one of Egypt's last independent fact-checking and media outlets, Saheeh Masr, has revealed some very important facts that have been completely ignored by mainstream media and the esteemed members of Parliament who hosted the transport minister to show their support during his supposedly parliamentary questioning.

My humble attempt to see on map and to use AI to understand why there are too many
train accidents in Al-Ayyat via Claude AI

An investigation by fact-checking platform Saheeh Masr into the recent Al-Ayyat train collision revealed that the accident occurred along a railway stretch that had previously been flagged for serious signalling system deficiencies, following a similar accident eight years earlier.

By analysing satellite imagery and eyewitness videos, the platform pinpointed the November 2026 collision between trains No. 134 and 2010 near the entrance to Baga El-Sheikh village, between Kafr Ammar and Al-Raqqa stations.

The accident was the latest in a series of at least seven deadly railway incidents recorded in the Al-Ayyat area between 2022 and 2026.

The location is also on the same railway route as the July 2017 Al-Maraaziq accident, in which train No. 986 derailed, injuring around 63 passengers.

The investigation recalled that the Administrative Prosecution issued a series of recommendations in 2018 after investigating the Al-Maraaziq accident, identifying serious shortcomings in railway signalling and safety systems.

Half basket survives the train collision in Al-Ayyat on 9 November
by Mohamed Saad

These included outdated signalling technology, the absence of centralised train traffic control and event-recording systems, and an excessive reliance on station personnel, increasing the risk of human error.

It also highlighted deficiencies in the automatic train control (ATC) system, whose equipment could be easily disabled by drivers, allowing trains to operate without adhering to signals.

The prosecution further questioned the effectiveness of maintenance operations, noting that inspection records repeatedly reported equipment as functioning properly despite indications that maintenance was not being properly carried out.

It recommended prioritising the modernisation of signalling systems, including ATC equipment, signals, railway switches and level crossings.

Despite a $440 million World Bank loan approved in 2021, alongside $241.1 million in funding from the Egyptian National Railways Authority, to improve railway safety and modernise signalling along the Cairo–Giza–Beni Suef line, the investigation found that the Al-Ayyat stretch had yet to undergo the planned upgrades.

According to the authority's latest project update, dated 15 July 2026, work had been limited to surveying and inspections along the Giza–Beni Suef line, while installation and finishing works were underway at Beshteel, Giza and Boulak stations.

Satellite imagery obtained from Planet and analysed by Saheeh Masr, covering the period between July 2017 and August 2026, also showed no significant construction or modernisation work along the railway stretch where the latest collision occurred.

The findings raise serious questions about why recommendations made eight years ago and a major World Bank-funded modernisation project have yet to translate into tangible safety improvements in Al-Ayyat.

Al-Ayyat: More than a history of train accidents

In a strange coincidence, Al-Ayyat turned from a small village into a growing town in the 19th century, thanks to the railways.

Before the railway arrived, Al-Ayyat was originally a small village administratively affiliated with Gerza district, one of Giza's old villages. It was mentioned in administrative records dating back to 1228 AH (1813 AD) as Kafr El-Ayyat, named after Sheikh Ahmed El-Ayyat El-Adawy. It became known simply as Al-Ayyat in 1275 AH (1858 AD).

Then, in 1867, during the reign of Khedive Ismail, a decision was made to extend the Egyptian railway network from Cairo to Upper Egypt.

Construction began on the railway line running south from Giza towards Upper Egypt, reaching Minya in 1867. The railway passed directly through the lands of Al-Ayyat village.

With the railway passing through the village and housing available for government employees, the decision was made in 1880 to transfer the administrative offices and government departments of Gerza district to Al-Ayyat, making it the district's administrative seat. The rest is history.