Egypt to open downtown's Sadat metro station on Wednesday - state agency

Saturday 13-06-2015 03:03 PM
Egypt to open downtown's Sadat metro station on Wednesday - state agency

A woman speaks on the phone at a metro station in Cairo February 14, 2011. REUTERS/Asmaa Waguih

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CAIRO, Jun 13 (Aswat Masriya) - Egypt's transport minister announced on Saturday that the Sadat metro station in downtown Cairo will be opened on Wednesday, after nearly two years of closure, reported the state-news agency MENA.

Minister Hani Dahi reportedly said the decision to open the metro station comes after receiving "security authorities' approval."

The station is situated beneath the iconic Tahrir Square, which lies in the heart of Cairo. It is one of the largest metro stations in the capital.

The metro station has been shut down since the dispersal of two camps set up in support of ousted Islamist President Mohamed Mursi in August, 2013.The forced dispersal caused nationwide violence, which lasted for days and prompted authorities to declare a state of emergency and a curfew.

The government cited national security considerations for the station’s continued closure.

Yet on Saturday, Dahi said he had agreed with the interior minister to reopen the station before the start of the Islamic month of Ramadan, due to begin on Thursday, to "facilitate" citizens' lives, reported MENA.

Dahi stressed that the Transport Ministry has met all requests put forth by the security authorities in regards to the station.

A lawsuit was filed to Egypt’s administrative court  by citizens who said they have been harmed by the decision to close the station.

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