The forgotten wayside halt that gave its name to a battle...
London Waterloo and Paris Austerlitz are stations named after battles. But how about a battle named after a station? The battle of El Alamein in October 1942, General Bernard Montgomery's crucial victory and turning point of the Second World War, took its name from a remote wayside halt on the Western Desert Railway from Alexandria to Mersa Matrouh. The railway was crucial for the supply of troops and armour to the battlefield, many of those involved in the battle would have passed through the station. At the time the station was in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by desert some 2 km inland from the Mediterranean coast.
Above, El Alamein railway station in 1942, a remote wayside halt miles from any habitation.
The old station still stands...
In 2026, the railway from Alex to Mersa remains operational, carrying two trains per day from Alexandria and two per day from Cairo, plus a Cairo-Mersa sleeper train in summer, see the timetable here. It's no longer remote: The whole coastal strip is heavily built up, and a modern 2-platform station built in the 1970s now serves the busy town of Alamein. But the old station building still stands, sandwiched between the modern station and the level crossing and signal box to the west, forgotten, decrepit, partially bricked up with its roof caved in. How much longer it will remain I cannot say, given the pace of development in this area. See location map.
Above, the old El Alamein station building at sunset on 6 May 2026. Just east of it is the modern 2-platform station built in the 1970s.
Above, inside the old station. Both photos look west, from inside the door at the east end of the building.
Above, looking west towards the busy level crossing, signal box, and new road flyover still under construction.
Above left, name board on the modern station. Above right, level crossing and signal box.
Video clip
The modern station
Above, looking west at the modern 1970s railway station at El Alamein, handling trains between Alexandria, Cairo and Mersa Matrouh.
Above, the entrance and ticket hall of the modern station at El Alamein.
Above, a train from Mersa Matrouh to Alexandria (probably ordinary 299), a few kilometres east of El Alamein station.
Train route map
Station location map. For train times, see the timetable here. How to travel by train in Egypt.
