The Cairo Metro is often described as an efficient and safe means of transportation in a city notorious for its anarchic traffic. For the millions of Egyptians who use the subway daily, it is the preferred way of getting around the congested city. Female-only cars allow women to avoid sexual harassment, which is all too common on Cairo's crowded buses and streets. Lately, however, the Cairo underground has been used by an increasing number of Egyptians for an entirely different purpose, albeit a deadly one.
Since March 2018, at least eight people — most of them under the age of 25 — have attempted suicide by jumping in front of speeding trains. Six were killed by oncoming trains. The two who survived include a 17-year-old girl, who, before she jumped on the tracks, had been quarreling with her mother in the crowded Ezbet El Nakhl Station on Sept. 5. Though she survived, she suffered serious injuries. The other survivor, a 41-year-old telecom company employee, had his leg amputated as a result of his attempt to take his own life.
