More than 80 exhibitors are showcasing their latest transportation technologies, to over 2,000 trade visitors from across the region, at the ongoing Natrans Arabia Conference and Exhibition, in Abu Dhabi, UAE.

Designs for transportation projects worth more than $200 billion are being displayed at the event.

The three-day show will run until October 27, at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre.

Natrans Arabia is being held in partnership with the UAE Federal Transport Authority, and the show was opened by Dr Abdullah Belhaif Al Nuaimi, Minister of Public Works and chairman of the Federal Transport Authority – Land and Marine.

Al Nuaimi said: “Thanks to the UAE's strong ties with the rest of the world on land, sea and air, it has become a dynamic trading country.”

“In order to maintain its leading position, the UAE is preparing a comprehensive transport plan until 2030, for which we will allocate more investment for transport and infrastructure,” he said.

Natrans Arabia features 80 local, regional and international exhibitors as well as three dedicated transportation conference streams. Each stream focuses on a specific area of transportation infrastructure technology, branded under a broader heading of either rail, road or maritime, allowing commercial stakeholders to align their regional market strategy with individual and joint government plans for all three sectors across the GCC countries, said a statement.

To enable GCC-wide transportation and infrastructure projects to be planned successfully, design standardisation will be integral, especially when interfacing individual national projects, it said.
 
Al Nuaimi, signed two important agreements at the event. The first with Japanese ship classification society, ClassNK. While the second agreement was signed along with Tasneef, the UAE-based maritime classification society, it added.

Alex Heuff, exhibition director, Natrans Arabia, said: “The vitality of the region’s transportation infrastructure sector is driving innovation with the UAE emerging as an undisputed leader with plans to introduce various sustainable mass transportation systems including the Etihad Rail project in Abu Dhabi and the Route 2020 project in Dubai.”
 
The three-day multi-stream conference programme incorporates the 6th Middle East Rail Opportunities conference, as well as the Middle East Road Conference and the Middle East Maritime Conference. Road safety strategies, ITS and public transport are top of the agenda for the conference, added the statement.

UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) is an official supporter of the event alongside Australia Arab Chamber of Commerce & Industry, ITS Arab, RoadSafetyUAE and Diplomatic Council.

The event has also attracted key support from the European Parking Association (EPA) and Mafex, the Spanish Railway Association, the UAE Shipping Association plus Etihad Rail as Strategic Sponsor, ESI Rail as Gold Sponsor, PTV Group as Silver Sponsor, Laborex as Bronze Sponsor, Pandrol as Lanyard Sponsor, Al Futtaim Toyota as the Hybrid Innovation Partner and Emirates Driving Company as the official road safety partner, it added. – TradeArabia News Service