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Egyptian National Railways Museum. Photo By La Rossa –

Top 10 Remarkable Facts about The Egyptian Railway Museum

The railway system of Egypt is an important means of transport. It transports approximately 400 million passengers annually and joins the major parts of the country extending as far as Matrouh to the West and Aswan to the North.

In 1854, 9 years after the first successful invention of the railway, Egypt established the first railway line in Africa. The railway formed a connectivity route of the Mediterranean Coast and Cairo. Prior to this, the main mode of transport was water.

As the transport system in Egypt evolved, the state saw of importance to preserve the historical development of this system. The Egyptian Railway Museum was the first of its kind in the Middle East and falls second place in the category of international artistic transport museums after the British Railway Museum.

The Museum was established in October 1932 during the reign of King Fouad the 1st and was finally opened in January 1933.  It is located in Cairo, on the East of Ramses Railway Station. It was built to celebrate the 1933 International Railway Congress that took place in Heliopolis, Cairo.

The museum traces the history of the Egyptian transportation system from the Pharaonic era to the modern day. It is divided into 5 sections with a collection of 700 models of trains, bridges, engines, ships, coaches, and carts. 

The two-story museum is one of the most outstanding landmarks in Egypt. It has a library with multiple official records, books, documents and maps that show different transport systems in Egypt. It also houses the second largest steam locomotive in Egypt.

1. The Egyptian Railway Museum Is Named One Of The Most Outstanding Landmarks Of Khedival Cairo

Khedival once known as the ‘Â鶹APP of the East’ has numerous landmarks. Aside from mosques and cathedrals, the architectural design of the Egyptian Railway Museum makes the building outstanding. From the busy Ramses station, the 2-story building is easily noticeable for its perimeter wall and well-plastered exterior.

2. It Was Built To Commemorate The International Railway Congress

Egypt hosted the International Railway Congress of 1933 in Heliopolis, Cairo. During the conference, the Railway Museum was inaugurated by HE Mahmoud Shaker Bey, the Egyptian State Railway administrator, to celebrate the great occasion.  

The conference was also commemorated by a set of postage stamps featuring 1859 and 1932 steams locomotive and engine.

3. It Is A Prominent Research Centre For Historic Means of Transportation

Books showing maps. Photo By Dariusz Sankowski –

The Railway Museum has a wide variety of momentous transport models. Researchers and scholars that have a keen interest in the evolution of transport can find all sorts of books, documents, pictures, and 3D models of ancient steam engines, and locomotives.

The first floor of the museum is dedicated to the kinetic machines used during different historical eras. The museum also contains valuable research papers and resourceful technical data.

4. The Egyptian Railway Museum Hosts The 1850 Royal Train Model Of The Egyptian Khedive

The museum has a model of the 1850 royal train that belonged to the Egyptian Khedive. The train consisted of 6 cars that is the Princess car, the Khediver car, Royal Family, the guards’ car, and the Minister car. The cars were manufactured in six different countries namely England, Scotland, France, and the USA.

5. The Egyptian Railway Museum Has Rare Article Collections

By 1930, Egyptian State Railways printed their in-house Arabic-English magazine. The library at the Egyptian Railway Museum is filled with over 500 books and documents. The articles at the museum showcase the modernization and history of railways in Egypt.

The library also has statistical documents and maps tracing the stages of transport development in the country.

6. The Museum Has A Special Section Showing Train Ticket Printing

Aside from displaying transport models and maps, the Railway Museum has a special section on ticket printing and travel schedules. The section shows how the tickets are printed. It also lists the development stages of ticket printing and the tools used during its printing.

The current timetable schedule is posted in all major train stations.

7. It Has The Pharaonic Boat Used By The Egyptian King in 2000 BC

The Nile Boat and Glimpse of Egypt. Photo By Internet Archive Book Images –

Before the 19^th century, River Nile was the main access route within Egypt. The kings used boats and ships as the main means of transport in Egypt. The Pharaonic boat at the Railway Museum existed 2000 BC ago. 

Ancient Egyptian boats were built according to their intended purpose. Some served as couriers others were meant for war and hunting while the papyrus boats were used by Royalty.

Khafu boat belonged to King Menkaure, the king in the Old Kingdom of Egypt. By the end of the Old Kingdom, the wooden models of ships were place markers for Egyptian tombs.

8. The Egyptian Railway Museum Has The Reproduction Of The Country’s Original Contract On The First Railway Establishment

Abbass Khedive of Egypt. Photo By Bain News Service –

The railway route in Egypt was constructed in 1854. However, it was to be established in 1842 by Mohamed Ali Pasha. Robert Stevenson, son of George Stephenson, and Abbas Hemly 1, Egyptian Khedive of 1851, signed the contract valued at 56 sterling pounds.

The 209km rail that stretched from Alexandria to Cairo was the first standard gauge railway. The first portion was built between Alexandria and Kafer Eassa and 2 years later (1856), reached Cairo. In 1858, Sa’id Pasha extended the railway to Suez which was later taken off during the digging of the Suez Canal.

9. One Of The Trains In The Egyptian Museum Was A Gift From The French

In 1862, the French Government gifted Khedive Sa’id a train as a sign of friendship. Sai’d had provided a battalion to support Mexico in the Second French Intervention strengthening the relationship between France and Egypt. The train’s locomotive is functional today.

10. The Egyptian Railway Museum Was Inaugurated Twice

Egyptian National Railways Museum. Photo By La Rossa –

The Railway Museum was built and opened to the public in the 1930s.  86 years later, it was inaugurated again under the management of the Ministry of Transportation. It maintained the architectural style that was designed by Edwin Patsy, a British Architect.