Two rail links connecting Juffair with Manama and Bahrain International Airport with the Diplomatic Area will open to the public in 2013.

Both will terminate in the Seef District and will be among six new rail links due to be up and running in Bahrain by 2030, Works Ministry roads planning and designing director Huda Fakhro has revealed.

She said construction of the new rail network is due to start next year and includes plans for a tramway and Light Rail Transit (LRT) system.

"The Green Line will link the Juffair area with Al Fateh Highway and the Manama area, while the other is a Red Line from Bahrain International Airport through the Diplomatic Area," she said. "Both lines will end at the Seef District."

Four other rail links will be added to the network, based on a study carried out by Paris-based Systra and UK firm MVA Consultancy in 2006.

"It is expected that design and construction work on the tram lines will take four years and the LRT six years," said Fakhro.

"Both systems will be of the highest standards, equipped with an air-conditioning system and separate sections for first class passengers and families."

The tramway is said to be capable of running at speeds of up to 30kmph and transporting 10,000 passengers an hour.

"The project will reduce noise and pollution caused by traffic congestion, reduce waiting times for road users and fatalities and injuries from accidents," Fakhro added.

The ministry announced in February last year that the study also included a Metro Rail Transit (MRT) system, capable of speeds of up to 60kmph and taking up to 60,000 passengers an hour, while a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system and a monorail were also being considered.-TradeArabia News Service