Cairo's Tahrir Metro Station to Close on Anniversary of 25 January Uprising 

Ahram Online
Sunday 24 Jan 2016

The station is located in the cradle of the Egyptian uprising that toppled the long-standing autocrat Hosni Mubarak in 2011

Sadat metro station, located in Cairo's iconic Tahrir Square, will close its doors to commuters on Monday, the fifth anniversary of the 25 January uprising, a Metro Authority spokesman told Ahram Online on Sunday.

The station will reopen when the metro authorities get "another notification," spokesman Ahmed Abdel-Hady added.

The station is located in the cradle of the Egyptian uprising that toppled the long-standing autocrat Hosni Mubarak in 2011.

It has been frequently closed "due to security reasons" but critics said the reason was to prevent masses from reaching Tahrir Square and protesting.

The station was closed from August 2013 to June 2015 -- over 650 days -- to prevent the supporters of ousted president Mohamed Morsi from setting up a camp in Tahrir Square.

The reopening of the station in June was a relief to passengers who commuted for longer periods of times and had to pay extra fees.

In anticipation of the fifth anniversary of the uprising, Egyptian police, aided by army personnel, have upped security in the face of possible protests.

No established political groups or movements have endorsed calls for protests on 25 January.

On Sunday, President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi delivered a speech commemorating the anniversary of 25 January 2011.

“We celebrate today the anniversary of the Egyptian people’s revolution where the country’s best youth paid with their lives to push for new blood in Egypt,” El-Sisi said.

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