Middle East .... presenting unique challenges for rail projects.
Mena spends $300bn on railways and metros
DUBAI, October 22, 2014
Rail and metro projects worth a total of $300 billion are under way or being planned in the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) region, said an expert at a key industry summit held in Dubai, UAE.
Saudi Arabia has the largest rail project pipeline in the region with over $100 billion, including the Riyadh Dammam High-Speed Rail, which is currently under study, along with the Eastern Province Municipality - Dammam Metro, revealed Meed Projects’ director of analysis Ed James while speaking at the annual Meed Mena Rail & Metro Summit.
“Every single country in the Mena region has rail project ambitions. Not all of these projects will go ahead, but the figure is indicative of the scale of what is happening,” he added.
Qatar boasts a rail and metro project pipeline valued at $40 billion, followed by the UAE with $30 billion. Across the region, the other big investments will be seen in Egypt, Iran, Kuwait and Oman, said the expert.
Meanwhile, a keynote speaker at the summit said delivering rail and metro mega projects in the Middle East presented unique challenges.
“A lot of the projects in the region are aiming for completion in the period to 2022,” remarked Fluor (UAE) programme manager Dago Beek. “2020 is a huge challenge whether it is for projects or rolling stock,” he added.
"These are strategic projects where co-operation with all stakeholders is required," noted Beek.
“We need confirmation of stakeholder standards and regulations. We need the required drawings for existing and proposed services. And we need to deal with overlapping transport corridors,” he said.
“We need transport safety laws and multi-modal regulations,” observed Beek. “Right of way and land acquisition is an issue. Every piece of land is owned and getting alignment straight is a huge challenge,” he added.
Beek said there was a need to be more professional when dealing with systems assurance and communication.
According to him, a key technical challenge was dealing with sand dunes drifting across the alignment of railways passing through deserts. “There is no one solution to this challenge,” he added.
A possible technical solution brought forward at the summit was the use of viaducts of about 3 m in height upon which railways would run.
Fluor Corporation and Parsons Brinckerhoff are project managers on the $7-billion Saudi Landbridge rail project which will connect Jeddah with Riyadh and the Saudi capital with the Gulf coast.
Beek said the final full alignment of the project is not yet fixed, but it will include a stretch from Jeddah to the Riyadh area. The possible alignment of a link between Riyadh and the Gulf coast is now under review.-TradeArabia News Service