Sikka Press
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Three tiers, priced to cover staff time and the printed Timetable Notebook run.

The pricing below is what it costs to run the desk, divided by the number of subscribers we can serve well without lowering the editorial standard. No annual discounts, no introductory offers, no upsells.

Reader
€10/ month

For readers who want the full text of the seven rail files with the dated change log, plus the searchable bibliographic index.

  • All seven public rail files in full, dated change log
  • Search of the bibliographic index (titles, authors, abstracts)
  • Quarterly digest emailed in PDF
  • Single bibliography entries on request, no charge
  • Monthly billing, cancel any time
Choose Reader
Most chosen
Library
€32/ month

For researchers, journalists and serious independent travellers. Adds the arrival-board archive on request and the booking-procedure walkthroughs.

  • Everything in Reader
  • Dated arrival-board photographs on request
  • Booking-procedure walkthroughs (Ramses, online, Tanta)
  • Arabic ENR bulletin translations, full text
  • Talgo-Spanish rolling-stock technical brief
  • 20% reduction on commissioned editorial services
  • Direct email to responsible editor for clarifications
Choose Library
Field
€88/ month, 6-month min.

For institutions, university libraries and serious rail enthusiasts. Adds the printed quarterly Timetable Notebook and a standing line to a named editor.

  • Everything in Library
  • Printed quarterly Timetable Notebook, A5, 56 pages
  • Standing line to a named resident editor
  • Annual photograph-archive export
  • Listed in the Annual Digest acknowledgements
  • 40% reduction on commissioned editorial services
  • Six-month minimum, then month-to-month
Choose Field
Side by side

The exact difference between the three tiers.

The matrix below is the version the desk uses to set up new accounts.

What you getReaderLibraryField
Public rail files, full text + dated change logYesYesYes
Bibliographic index searchYesYesYes
Dated arrival-board photographs—YesYes
Booking-procedure walkthroughs—YesYes
Arabic ENR bulletin translationsTitles onlyFull textFull text
Talgo-Spanish technical brief—YesYes
Printed quarterly Timetable Notebook——Yes
Standing line to a named editor——Yes
Reduction on commissioned services—20%40%
Acknowledged in Annual Digest——Yes
Billing cadenceMonthlyMonthly6 months min.
Payment & billing

How it works in practice.

A subscription is set up by writing to the desk through the contact page; we do not run a self-serve checkout. Most subscribers are institutional and need an invoice with a particular reference, billing address, or VAT treatment.

We accept payment in Egyptian pounds for clients with Egyptian bank accounts and in euros, US dollars or pounds sterling for international clients by SWIFT transfer to the Tanta bank account. Card payments are not supported. An invoice is issued at the start of every billing period. Reader and Library tiers cancel from the account page and access continues until the end of the paid period. The Field tier carries a six-month minimum because the first two printed notebooks are printed and shipped before the second invoice is issued.

VAT treatment: as an Egyptian L.L.C. registered under VAT ID 904-651-378, we charge Egyptian VAT to Egyptian-resident subscribers. International subscribers are zero-rated under the standard export rules.

Pricing questions

The seven questions we get most often.

Why no annual discount?
An annual discount shifts cash forward at the cost of editorial flexibility. We would rather lose a marginal subscriber than have a year of pre-paid revenue locked in against a tier we may want to revise. The pricing is set to be sustainable monthly.
Is there a free trial?
No. Every public rail file is free to read in full with the dated change log visible. If the public material is not enough on its own to want the subscription, the subscription is probably not for you yet.
Can a university library subscribe institutionally?
Yes. Institutional Field tier is €420 per six months for up to ten named users (typically academic staff and postgraduate researchers), with €25 per six months for each additional user. Contact the desk for the framework template.
What happens if I cancel mid-period?
Access continues until the end of the paid period. We do not pro-rate refunds for partial periods.
Can I gift a subscription?
Yes, at any tier. The invoice goes to the gifter; access is provisioned for the recipient. Field-tier gifts include a personal note from the editor inside the first mailed notebook. A popular grandparent-to-grandchild option for rail-enthusiast families.
Is there a student rate?
Yes. Library tier is €16 per month for students enrolled in undergraduate or postgraduate programmes in transport history, architectural history, civil engineering or tourism studies. Send proof of enrolment by email; rate runs to the end of the academic year and renews on fresh proof.
Can I switch tiers mid-subscription?
Yes. Upgrades take effect at the next billing date and the difference is pro-rated on the next invoice. Downgrades take effect at the end of the current paid period. Switching is handled by the desk; write in to request the change.
What happens if I let my subscription lapse?
The day after the paid period ends, access reverts to public-only. Your account is preserved for twelve months; if you resubscribe inside that window, your download history is restored. After twelve months the account is archived and a fresh subscription opens a new one.
Are corporate sponsorships available?
No. The desk does not accept corporate sponsorship of any kind. The single non-subscription revenue stream we accept outside the commissioned-services list is the print sale of the Annual Digest at established academic conferences. Sponsorships would compromise the editorial independence on the operator-listings part of the bibliographic index.
Is there a discount for ENR employees?
Yes, a courtesy 30% reduction on the Reader tier for current ENR staff (any directorate, any seniority). Send proof from your ENR work email address; the rate applies as long as the email address remains active. This is a courtesy rather than a structured benefit — Ahmed El-Sharif worked at the ENR planning office and we treat former colleagues' access as a matter of friendship rather than a commercial calculation.
Is there a discount for railway-press journalists?
No structured discount, but we waive the subscription requirement entirely for journalists writing specifically about Egyptian railways for established publications (rail press, academic transport journals, mainstream travel media). Write to the desk with your accreditation; we provide a journalist account on request. This is also a courtesy rather than a structured benefit.

Write to the desk and we set up the subscription by email.

Tell us the tier, your billing address and your preferred currency. First reply with the invoice within one Egyptian working day.

Start a subscription See catalogue