Transport Minister Hatem Abdel-Latif on Thursday 17/01/2013 unveiled urgent plans for developing the railway sector at an estimated budget of 470 million pounds.

Speaking before the parliament's transport committee, the minister said 170 million pounds are needed for spare parts and 300 million pounds for maintenance services of locomotives.

The ministry has signed deals for buying 221 new carriages and contacts are being held to buy another 336, he said.

"We have 3,000 carriages and the life span of 80-85 percent of them has already expired," the minister told the committee."

"The major problem is mainly down to the maintenance services," he said.