CAIRO — After three train cars flipped over July 13 near Al-Badrashin train station in Cairo’s Giza governorate and injured more than 55 people, the efficiency of Egypt's railway system has been once again placed under the spotlight.

The Al-Badrashin incident is not the first of its kind this year in Egypt. On Feb. 28, two trains collided in Beheira governorate in northern Egypt, killing 12 people and wounding 39. On Aug. 11, 2017, two trains collided in Alexandria governorate, also in the north of Egypt, killing 49 people and injuring 179.

The Egyptian railway system is the oldest in Africa. It was established in the 1850s and includes 705 stations, 1,330 level crossings, 35,000 cars for the transport of passengers, 10,000 cars for the transport of goods and 800 locomotives.

While this system transports 500 million passengers and 6 million tons of goods per year, according to data from the State Information Service, it suffers from several problems as its infrastructure has been depleted and its locomotives worn out. Also, its signaling system, train tracks and level crossings need modernization, according to a report published by al-Watan website on Dec. 1.