Egypt PM: 5 New Tunnels and 17 Floating Bridges to Link Sinai to Mainland

Five new tunnels and 17 floating bridges. That's what Prime Minister Dr. Mostafa Madbouly announced at the closing ceremony of the Egypt 2026 Forum, as part of a broader plan to connect the Sinai Peninsula to the rest of the country through an integrated network of roads and axes. Before these additions, Egypt had only one tunnel — the Martyr Ahmed Hamdy Tunnel — and each new tunnel is designed to ease the movement of about 50,000 vehicles, cutting travel time to and from Sinai down to roughly 20 minutes.

Roads and Axes Move Into Execution

The striking figure isn't the number of tunnels, but their direct impact on vehicle movement. Each tunnel handles 50,000 vehicles — a figure that reflects the pressure the old axes were under. The move is part of vehicle and infrastructure projects aimed at improving transport flow in the region. Madbouly said the efforts target cutting travel time to and from Sinai to about 20 minutes, down from journeys that used to take hours.

On the long roads that once linked Sinai to the Nile Valley, drivers had to stop repeatedly. Now, 17 floating bridges have been implemented across different areas to ease the transport of goods and citizens to and from Sinai — a shift in infrastructure priorities for transport. The numbers indicate these bridges will relieve pressure on main axes. That should reflect positively on prices for transport and logistics services.

Sinai Rail: 450 Kilometers Redraw the Map

100 kilometers. That's the length of the El-Ferdan–Bir El-Abd line being restored, part of a railway network in Sinai exceeding 450 kilometers. The plan aims to link Bir El-Abd to El-Arish and on to Taba, meaning trains will return to routes that have been idle for years. This comes within integrated projects including desalination stations, airports, industrial and fish farming projects, plus the new Rafah city, Bir El-Abd Hospital. The development of Arish University.

Are these projects enough on their own? The numbers suggest development in Sinai needs more than roads. But the Prime Minister's announcement focuses on creating jobs for Sinai residents through industrial, agricultural. Fish farming projects, making transport part of a bigger picture. The timeline remains an open question, but what's certain is that the network of roads, tunnels. Bridges will change the movement map in the region.

At the market level, these projects mean Sinai will be connected to the rest of the country through five tunnels, 17 floating bridges, and a railway network extending 450 kilometers. These aren't theoretical plans — they're infrastructure already being implemented, and they will impact the movement of vehicles, goods, and citizens while supporting comprehensive development in the peninsula that has long suffered from isolation.