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Monorail to be ready for Hajj in 2010, says report
According to a report issued by Saudi Arabia's Supreme Hajj Committee, the SR6.5bn monorail project linking Mecca with the holy sites of Mina, Arafat and Muzdalifah will be ready for use by pilgrims for the Hajj next year, Arab News has reported. The project is being implemented by a consortium of companies led by China Railway Company.
Dubai adds new bus routes to serve metro
The Public Transport Agency of Dubai's Roads & Transport Authority has said it is launching 17 new bus routes on September 1 as feeder services for Dubai Metro. The new routes will serve the metro stations of Rashidiya, Financial Centre, Mall of the Emirates and Nakheel Harbor and Tower at Dubai Marina, the agency said. The new routes of bus feeder service of Dubai Metro stations will bring the overall total to 25.
DP World buys stake in Brazil port
DP World is partnering with Brazil's Odebrecht to buy a majority stake at Embraport, a port terminal in the Brazilian city of Santos, Bloomberg has reported. The first phase of the project, which is expected to cost around $500m, is scheduled to be completed in 2012 with about one million twenty foot equivalent container units capacity and it will be operated by DP World.
Dubai metro costs soar by 80%
The chief of Dubai's Roads & Transport Authority (RTA) has said that cost of the emirate's metro project has shot up 80% more than originally planned to Dhs28bn ($7.62bn). Mattar al Tayer attributed the increase to major changes to the scope and design of the project.
Ten stations to open on Dubai Metro
The Dubai Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has confirmed that 10 stations will open on the Dubai Metro on September 9, when the service begins operations. The 10 will be between Rashidya, which is expected to attract large numbers of commuters from neighbouring emirate Sharjah, and Nakheel Harbour, near Ibn Battuta Mall. Jebil Ali station will open later, as the RTA believes passenger numbers for the station will be lower. The remaining 29 stations will opened in batches of three, four or five, the authority said. Normal operating hours will be 6am to 11pm, except Fridays, when it will operate from 2pm to midnight. During Ramadan, it will run between 6am and midnight.
Riyadh to award $1.4bn railway contract
The Saudi Railways Organisation has asked six prequalified international consortiums to prepare bids for the second main construction contract on its high-speed railway between Mecca and Medina, Meed has reported. Bidding on the $1.4bn operations, signalling and maintenance contract will begin after Ramadan finishes in September. Prequalification for a contract to build the four stations on the railway will begin before the end of the year.
Dubai mParking now on Du
Du customers can now pay for car parking in Dubai by text using their mobile phone. The Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has activated the mParking service with the telco. The service is already available to Etisalat mobile phone users.
DP World profits fall
First-half profit at DP World, the Dubai government-controlled ports management company, fell 34% to $188m on weak container volumes. Revenues were down 13% to $1.384bn from $1.598bn for the same period last year. "The first six months of 2009 have continued to present a very challenging operating environment across the portfolio," the port operator said. DP World said it still believes it will meet 2008 expectations for the full year, although warned that trading continues to be unpredictable.
Etihad Cargo launches in Baghdad
Etihad Crystal Cargo has announced a twice weekly service from Abu Dhabi airport to Baghdad, the capital of Iraq. The service begins on September 1 2009 and is set to operate every Tuesday and Thursday, deploying one of its A300 600 freighters with a payload of 42 tonnes on the route.
US agency extends Agility contract
US Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) has extended its contract for warehouse and distribution services with Agility Defense & Government Services (DGS), the public sector arm of Kuwait-based Agility. The contract runs out of the Defense Distribution Center, Kuwait/Southwest Asia (DDKS). Under the one-year extension, Agility DGS will use its Kuwait facilities to provide DLA with a warehouse management system to support operations in the Middle East and Southwest Asia.
Drydocks inaugurates 6,000 T ship lift
Drydocks World - Dubai, a ship repair, conversion and new building company under the Drydocks World Group, has carried out its first operation on the advanced 6,000-tonne ship lift. The inauguration took place at the industrial precinct in Dubai Maritime City (DMC), which also has another ship lift with a capacity of 3,000 tonnes, which is operational already. (Mac Capital Advisors)
RTA kits buses with safety systems
The Dubai Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) says it has equipped its new fleet of buses with a range of features to improve safety. It includes the i-Shift gear system, designed to increase driver comfort and reduce the risks of accidents and an Electronic Stability Program (ESP) to give drivers better control of the bus, increasing its stability reducing the risk of skidding or sliding. Buses also come with emergency exits, alarm systems, fire extinguishers and first aid kits.
Maersk Line introduces new direct service
Maersk Line has introduced a direct service, called ME2, from India and the Middle East to the West Mediterranean and back. It will be through a slot exchange agreement with Kuwait-based United Arab Shipping on its Mina Service. The ME2 service rotation covers the ports of Valencia, Genoa, Jeddah, Jebel Ali, Port Qasim in Pakistan and Nhava Sheva in India.
Financial crisis put GCC port projects at risk
According to a report by Kuwait Financial Centre (Markaz), planned investments worth almost $40bn to expand the cargo-handling capacity of seaports in the Gulf could now be at risk, due to declining oil revenues in the region and concerns about the continuation of the financial crisis, Khaleej Times has reported. Of 20 projects announced, work is in progress on 12, the report said. Saudi Arabia and the UAE each planned five port projects. Construction work is underway on all UAE projects, while two projects in Saudi Arabia are still in the planning and design stage.
APL Logistics opens in Dubai Logistics City
APL Logistics, part of Singapore-based Neptune Orient Lines, is opening a distribution flow centre in Dubai Logistics City's (DLC). It will link specialised multi-country consolidation, distribution and other value-added services with international transportation networks in a 25,000 square meter facility in the free trade zone. The facility is next to a number of light manufacturing sites and is close to Dubai's air cargo terminal, Jebel Ali Port and road links.
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