Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi has approved a cooperation agreement with the European Investment Bank (EIB) providing a €1.5 million grant to finance consultancy services supporting the planned extension of Cairo Metro Line 1.

Presidential Decree No. 197 of 2026 approved the cooperation agreement between the Egyptian government and the EIB to finance consultancy services for the Cairo Metro Line 1 extension project, subject to ratification.

The decree was issued by the presidency on April 22, 2026, approved by the House of Representatives during its June 30 session, and ratified by the president on July 6.

The cooperation agreement, No. AA-012385, was concluded between the Arab Republic of Egypt — represented by the Ministry of Planning, Economic Development and International Cooperation and the National Authority for Tunnels — and the European Investment Bank. It covers consultancy services required to support preparations for the Cairo Metro Line 1 extension.

The agreement was signed in Cairo on January 13, 2026, with the €1.5 million grant allocated to financing studies and consultancy services related to the project's preparation.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, International Cooperation and Egyptians Abroad published Presidential Decree No. 197 of 2026 in the Official Gazette under Ministerial Decree No. 27 of 2026, issued on July 27.

The agreement follows the House of Representatives' Transport and Communications Committee's approval in June of the presidential decree covering the €1.5 million EIB grant.

The project forms part of Egypt's efforts to develop Greater Cairo's urban transport network. Egypt presented the Cairo Metro Line 1 extension as a priority climate-action project during COP27, the UN climate conference hosted in Sharm El-Sheikh in 2022.

The broader financing partnership for priorities under Egypt's NWFE transport program also included a €1.5 billion financing commitment from the EIB, alongside other international financial institutions, including the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and the French Development Agency.

The project will include a comprehensive feasibility study, environmental, social and climate assessments, as well as preliminary designs to support a decision on implementing the planned 19-kilometer northward extension of Metro Line 1 from El-Marg station to Shibin El-Qanater, where it would connect with Egypt's national railway network.

Construction and rolling-stock costs for the project are estimated at around €1.8 billion. The extension is intended to strengthen Greater Cairo's electric public transport network, serving a metropolitan area with a population of approximately 22.6 million.