Clean up your act, Egypt transport minister tells rail officials

Egypt’s transport minister took aim at an embattled railway authority that’s seen a recent spate of accidents, claiming officials there have obstructed his efforts to revamp the network and warning foreign companies could be brought in to manage the sector.

The comments by Kamal el-Wazir come after a series of railroad crashes that cast a spotlight on the state of the aged network.

There are individuals “that hinder and obstruct the development process to demoralize” those who are trying to revamp the sector, el-Wazir said in a statement. He added that he hasn’t received the necessary assistance from officials and employees at the railway authority since assuming his post, even as he sought to provide them with the resources needed to achieve their goals.

If the current “laziness and negligence” continues, the ministry will seek the assistance of foreign firms specializing in managing railways and with whom it already has dealings, he said.