The World - News from Sept. 28, 1987

Africa’s first subway system was opened in Cairo, more than five years after construction began. Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, French Premier Jacques Chirac and a delegation of visiting dignitaries boarded the first train at Anwar Sadat station, in central Cairo, and rode to Hosni Mubarak station, the system’s northern terminus. Built by a consortium of 17 French and two Egyptian firms at an initial cost of about $300 million, the railway’s first phase--which runs 2.8 miles underground and 23.5 miles on the surface--is designed to transport 500,000 passengers a day in its initial stage. It will be opened to the public Thursday.