On 4 January 1917 the first construction train arrived at El Arish, but it was some time before the railway, with its vast capacity to support the development of infrastructure and the supply of large garrisons, was fully developed.
Den 4. januar ankom det første byggetog til al-Arish, men der gik stadig nogen tid inden jernbanen med dens enorme kapacitet til at udvikle infrastrukturen og forsyne store garnisoner var fuldt udbygget.