World Notes EGYPT

Snarled traffic, polluted air and horn-honking cacophony have long frayed the nerves of Cairo's roughly 12 million residents and 1 million annual visitors. Much of the capital's legendary congestion may finally be relieved this week, when Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak officially opens Cairo's first subway service. Five years and $1 billion in the making, the 17-mile, six-station ( system is the first phase of a projected 25-mile line that will ultimately transport 1 million passengers a Day.

The system arrived none too soon. If traffic patterns had continued, Egyptian officials estimated, the streets of downtown Cairo would have been virtually gridlocked by 1990. That prospect led the government to sign an agreement with France in 1981 to build a subway modeled on the Paris Metro.

Mubarak, accompanied by French Premier Jacques Chirac, will descend polished red granite steps at Tahrir Square for the inaugural ride. Inside the station, walls of cream-colored marble form the backdrop to ceramic designs depicting ancient Egyptian scenes. Replicas of pharaonic statues are displayed in glass cases, adding local luster to what French Engineer Alain Chenebier proudly calls "one of the most beautiful subway systems ever."