Egypt's transport minister on Sunday announced proposals to construct a railway line to reach the Sudanese city of Wadi Halfa, and to extend a line in the north to Libya's second-most populous city Benghazi.

The announcement came as part of Egyptian government efforts to overhaul the country's transport system, including an ailing railway network with a poor safety record.

The government decided on "a number rail transport projects that could be carried out in cooperation with investors," Egyptian Transport Minister Kamel al-Wazir told a news conference in Cairo.

They include "building an Aswan-Toshka railway line that will extend to the city of Wadi Halfa in Sudan," he said, referring to locations in Egypt's south and a city just across the border.

The minister also said that there were plans to extend the Marsa Matrouh-Salloum line, in Egypt's northwest, to reach the eastern Libyan city of Benghazi.

Neighboring Libya has been mired in chaos since a 2011 uprising that toppled and killed longtime leader Muammar Gaddafi.

The country is currently split between rival administrations in the east and west, with Cairo backing eastern strongman Khalifa Haftar.

Under President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, Egypt has been looking to build cross-border railway lines with neighboring countries.  

Its rail network has been beset by a spate of accidents in recent years that were often blamed on decades of poor maintenance, negligence and a lack of funds. 

AFP