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Israel seeks to revive long abandoned railway to Gulf

Israel is currently discussing a project to reopen the old Hejaz railway to connect it with Saudi Arabia, though many Egyptians are concerned about its impact on trade through the Suez Canal.
People walk on the beach as a container ship crosses the Gulf of Suez towards the Red Sea before entering the Suez Canal, in El Ain El Sokhna in Suez, east of Cairo, Egypt April 24, 2017. Picture taken April 24, 2017. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh - RC1E42014B40
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CAIRO — The last year seems to have been a successful one for the Suez Canal. In a statement to Youm al-Sabeh newspaper on Dec. 31, Mohab Mamish, the chairman of the Suez Canal Authority and the head of the Suez Canal Economic Zone, said the canal revenues increased by 89.9% in 2017 compared to 2016. He expects them to grow further with the opening of the logistics zone and surrounding investment zones.

However, Mamish’s optimism is not enough to lift the doubts tormenting many Egyptians about the long-term feasibility of the Suez Canal Area Development Project launched by President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in 2014.

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