Egypt's Transportation Minister Hany Dahy has said that Egyptians will be able to use railways services for free on Thursday, on the occasion of the inauguration of the "new Suez Canal" waterway.
In a television interview on Saturday, Dahy said that it was a gesture of thanks to the Egyptian people who had financed the digging of the new waterway in only seven days -- a reference to the LE64 billion-worth of Suez Canal bonds used to finance much of the project.
Metro services in the governorates of Cairo and Giza will also be free from 4pm to 8pm on Thursday, the minister added.
The capital's underground metro stations have already begun to celebrate the coming ceremony, by broadcasting patriotic songs on their internal radio stations.
The new Suez Canal waterway, an extension to part of the existing Suez Canal, will be inaugurated on Thursday by President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi. Global figures are expected to attend the event.
