I Took the Metro in Cairo… And I Liked It!
Mission: Arrive at the office at 10 am.
9:00 am: Climb down the stairs of Kolyet ElBanat metro station in Heliopolis, heading into the unknown. I purchase a ticket for one Egyptian pound, cross the turnstile and wait for the metro to arrive.
9:01 am: I look for maps to try and figure out how I’ll get to the office in Maadi, but there are none whatsoever. I ask one of the police officers standing on the platform and they are as clueless as I am.
It is noteworthy that there are several police officers all over the platform to make sure that there is no harassment and that men don’t get into the ladies’ car.
9:02 am: The metro arrives. It’s exceptionally clean, air-conditioned and smells good.
9:18 am: I arrive at Ataba Station and I should now figure out a way to get to Maadi.
9:23 am: A very nice forty-something-year-old man stops by after he’d seen me ask everyone about how to get to Maadi and tells me what I need to do. It sounded impossible, but I’m eternally grateful to that kind stranger.
9:24 am: A sardine can that looks like a metro car and is filled with people stops in front of me. I pass and wait for the next one.
*I skipped four trains and they were all the same*
9:31 am: I gave in. I find myself being pushed into the smelly sardine can and I hold on to a pole on the left, I hold on for life. And air.
9:33 am: I get off at the ElShohada Station and have to switch sides to get on the metro line that goes in the Helwan direction.
ElShohada Station is probably the most crowded place in Egypt. Not only does it smell like hundreds of people who were never introduced to the concept of deodorant all at once, you find yourself dragged, pushed, stopped and pulled by random strangers to make way for themselves.
And you can see the decline in levels of cleanliness and maintenance as you switch between stations and the closer you are to downtown.
Which leads to a very important point: There are only two escalators per station – one going up and another going down, and given how relatively lazy we as Egyptians are, you can see the regular stairs are almost deserted!
I hereby ask the government to kindly install more escalators, so that we become more spoiled and comfortable as a nation.
9:34 am: I am on the oldest metro in Egypt, on my way to Maadi! Of course it is not air-conditioned, it doesn’t even have fans, but the windows were open, and let me tell you, for someone who is relatively claustrophobic, that was a great relief.
9:57 am: I ARRIVE TO THAKANAT EL MAADI STATION! *does a little victory dance*
10:03 am: I arrive at Scoop Empire’s office and can’t wait to gloat to everyone about today’s adventure!
Mission complete!
Now that I am writing this in the comfort of my office space, next to the AC and embraced by a very cozy chair, I can share my wisdom for the day with you guys:
1. Keep your ticket until you get out of the station in your desired destination. You need your ticket to get out. If you throw it away or lose it, you pay a fine.
2. If you’re a woman, it’s preferable if you get on the ladies’ car. Aside from harassment, they are more likely to wear perfume than men.
3. Get on through the “entry” door and get off at the “exit” one. Even if people don’t follow this rule, set an example.
4. The cellular network coverage is not good in a lot of places underground, so don’t rely on your smartphone’s internet connection for entertainment.
5. If there is no place to sit down, DO NOT STAND IN FRONT OF THE DOOR. I repeat, DO NOT STAND IN FRONT OF THE DOOR!
6. Egyptians should also push for a better country and better lives since they are so good at pushing each other in and out of the metro.
7. You cannot say that you’ve seen different faces of Egypt until you have tried the metro. Different classes, clothing styles, ages and backgrounds running around under the big city of Cairo in all possible directions.
8. Take the metro and take it often. It’s very fast, fun and quite cheap!
The recent expansions of the underground metro stations in Cairo should be a good step to shift people’s ideology and encourage them to ditch their cars when they don’t need to drive, are running a quick errand or going to or coming back from work.
WE SAID THIS: Check out this Open Letter to Egypt’s Road Authorities.
