Train ticket reservation systems of the Egyptian National Railways Authority have recently stopped working due to a sudden disruption in the telecommunications network following a large fire inside Ramses Central on El-Gomhoria Street, in the Al-Azbakeya district of downtown Cairo.
Informed sources explained that the fire broke out inside one of the vital equipment rooms within the central office, causing a widespread outage of landline and mobile internet services across several governorates. This directly affected some government electronic services, especially the train reservation systems.
Upon receiving the report, the Civil Protection forces dispatched several fire trucks to contain the flames and control the fire, while security agencies imposed a tight cordon around the central office area to ensure the safety of pedestrians and local residents.
The National Telecommunications Regulatory Authority revealed that the fire caused a temporary disruption to telecommunications services, confirming that the electricity supply to the building was completely cut off as a precautionary measure. It pointed out that technical teams from the Egyptian Telecom Company are working in coordination with civil defense to gradually restore the service over the coming hours.
The authority also emphasized that it is currently assessing the extent of the damage and determining the number of affected customers, assuring that all necessary measures will be taken to compensate them for the outage period. It added that the Minister of Communications is closely monitoring the situation to ensure a swift service restoration and to minimize the impact of the crisis.
This incident comes at a time when many institutions rely heavily on digital networks, making the impact of the event tangible for a wide range of users, both individuals and service sectors alike.
