The Railways Authority completed the restoration of the royal train dating back to the era of King Farouk and restored it to its condition and its natural components while preserving its ancient archaeological character and historical form. The Authority also operated the train to Alexandria via the Cairo/Alexandria railway line.
The history of the King Farouk train dates back to 1950, and it was made by the Italian company “Fiat” specifically for him, and it was called the “Royal Diesel.” It is the first diesel express train in the Middle East. The wheelhouse, in which there is a toilet for the train driver, and the second carriage was also divided into two parts, the first in the royal salon, which consisted of a king's chair and 4 chairs for guests and a table that accommodates 4 people for meetings.
As for the second section, there is a music booth with a radio and gramophone, a private bathroom for the king, an electric kitchen, 10 telephones connected to the central Cairo and Alexandria, radio equipment, and a wireless device for receiving and transmitting.
The train is also armored against bullets and equipped with an automatic stopping system in the event of any harm to the drivers. At that time, King Farouk established a royal train station in Qasr al-Qubba to facilitate the arrival of VIPs from Cairo station or from Alexandria to the palace directly, but the work of the royal diesel continued for only two years, as it stopped It was used in 1952 with the end of the monarchy in Egypt and the train suffered from neglect and over time turned into scrap on the Egyptian railways.
Mon, Jun. 13, 2022
