The keynote address by H.E. Hussain Al Nowais at Middle East Rail Projects Conference looked at the creation of the UAE's Union Railway Company. Phil Blizzard spoke to the newly appointed Chairman of this Federal organisation about its mandate, the creation of the 1400km rail network, the construction challenges and expected traffic.
The booming Middle East railway market is brought to the conference arena in this MEED event. Phil Blizzard looks at the Middle East Rail Projects conference which attracted participants, speakers and delegates from across the region and beyond.
Metro financing, postponement of the purple line and progress of the Al Safouh Tramway, all in Dubai are featured in this update from Abdul Redha Abu Al Hassan, Director of Planning and Development, Rail Agency, RTA, Dubai. He also tells Phil Blizzard that Private Public Partnerships(PPP) are currently the favoured form of future funding.
With so many rail networks planned in the Middle East, project structure is critical for their success. Get that structure wrong, and it could be terminal for the project, says Joss Dare, Partner at Ashurst. He tells Rob Jones what companies need to consider and explains why it is so important to have any issues resolved early in the rail project's lifecycle.
Safety is paramount for any transport system and with the high speeds attained by rolling stock on modern rail systems the requirement is for 'state of the art' signalling. Ala Ghanem, Regional Business Director, Invensys Rail talks to Phil Blizzard about the investment by operators into signalling and control mechanisms and the market development of rail networks in the region.
The UAE has one of the world's current biggest rail projects in the planning stages. With tender due to be issued early next year, Bassam Mansour, Expert - Trains & Railway Systems, National Transport Authority, outlines the importance of independent regulation. Speaking to Rob Jones at the MEED Middle East Railway Projects event in Abu Dhabi, he talks about the importance of having a strong relationship between the operators, owners and maintainers of a rail system, what lessons the UAE can learn from mistakes made elsewhere in the world and when the NTA will award a contract for a federal regulator.
The important aspects of railway project development and delivery are talked about by Steve Parker, Head of Rail, EC Harris, looking at the stages from investment through to delivery. Phil Blizzard puts to him the key issues for developers of rail projects in the GGC.
Edmund O'Sullivan, Chairman, Meed Events explains to Edward Poultney why the Meed Middle East Rail Projects conference is playing a particularly crucial role as the region gears up for $250bn worth of rail projects. Conference TV examines the scale of opportunity available and why the Arabian peninsula is the last 'missing link' in the global system.