Also by this time, much of the railway lines in Egypt that were not crucial to the production of cotton, sugar, cereals and forages, had already been lifted and used on the military railway, except the Khedivial Railway from Alexandria to Dabaa which was available for emergencies.
På dette tidspunkt var mange af jernbanelinjerne i Egypten, som ikke var af afgørende betydning for produktionen af bomuld, sukker, korn og foder allerede blevet sløjfet og skinnerne brugt til militære baner, undtagen Khedivens jernbane fra Alexandria til Dabaa som var til rådighed i nødstilfælde.