DUBAI — Speaking at the 12th edition of the Middle East Rail 2018, Khalid Al Sultan, vice president - infrastructure, Saudi Railway Company (SAR), covered the company’s railway development plans in context of the country’s Vision 2030. He explained that railway will play a major role in three aspects of development: a cost efficient means of moving goods & freight, a means of moving people as well as aligning with major ports and entry points to ensure seamless infrastructural connectivity.

He also explained in great detail the length and depth of coverage of the country’s three major railway lines including the Riyadh Dammam Line, North-South Project (connecting major heavy industry hubs for freight projects) and the 453-km long Haramain High Speed Railway (HHR) project linking the holy cities of Makkah and Madinah.

Al Sultan also expressed SAR’s keen interest in working with the private sector to collaborate and partner in achieving success in multiple new projects. Of note were Public-Private Partnership (PPP) opportunities for the 340-kilometer double-track Yanbu to Jeddah connection (via King Abdullah Port) and the 40-kilometer double-track Riyadh to Riyadh connection and new Dry-Port (connecting SAR and SRO networks in Riyadh and New Dry Port to be situated outside of Riyadh).

He also mentioned that SAR will soon be floating tenders for the Riyadh-Dammam and the Land Bridge Project. The project consists of a 449-kilometer passenger Line connecting Dammam and Riyadh passing through Al Ahsa and Abqaiq, a 546-kilometer Freight Line connecting King Abdulaziz Port in Dammam with Riyadh passing through Al Ahsa, Abqaiq, Al Kharj, Haradh and Al Tawdhiyah and a 400-kilometer Sub Line connecting industrial, agricultural and military sites with export ports and residential areas.

The Land Bridge extends from Jeddah to Riyadh with a total length of approximately 1000 km of double-track. It also connects with the GCC Railway Network.

Alstom showcases its complete mobility solutions

Alstom is showcasing its complete mobility solutions for urban signaling and services. 

“Alstom has been a reliable partner for the Middle East region since decades,” said Mrs. Thi Mai Tran, managing director of Alstom Gulf. “Alstom’s dedication to the UAE and the Middle East market and to the development of its transport & mobility network which includes Tramways, metro, high speed as well as signaling is confirmed by the number of projects currently in the region. Alstom is looking forward to further re-enforce its commitment to the development of the Middle East mobility sector and economy through participation in the upcoming railway & mobility projects,” added Tran.



The provider of the Dubai Tram and the leader of the ExpoLink consortium for Route 2020 project of the Red Line extension of Dubai Metro have highlighted eight new technologies with the power to transform mobility in the Middle East now – or in the very near future.

Ranging from connected tech to help passengers plan easier, more comfortable journeys, to autonomous last-mile shuttles, next-generation electric buses, and behind-the-scenes management systems to keep the whole transport system running smoothly, each of the innovations is available now to be deployed. When put together, they offer a revolution in smarter, more sustainable mobility for both passengers and operators, and will help rapidly growing cities move and breathe more easily for a better tomorrow.

Among the solutions Alstom will present on its booth, are Alstom’s Urban Integrated solutions; Citadis Range: More than 2,500 Citadis tramway sold in 53 cities; Mastria, the orchestration of all public transport modes from rail to road; Ecodesign: Sustainability in mobility from manufacturing to recycling; Aptis: the premium passenger experience inspired from the tram.


Indian Railways to talk about expansion

Indian Railways, India's national railway system operated by the Ministry of Railways, will talk about $140 billion worth of current and future rail projects that the government is building to upgrade country’s urban transportation network.

Mahesh Kumar Gupta, member engineering - Indian Railway Board, will lead a high-profile delegation of railway officials and experts to share more details about the region’s largest railway network’s expansion plans and future growth prospects, besides outlining a buddle of opportunities that the industry offers in the segments of metro, tram, monorail, long-distance freight and passenger train, and high speed rail.

Gupta, said: “We will highlight some of our achievements, growth prospects and future projections during this two-day event. This kind of events helps in creating awareness about gigantic organizations like Indian Railways, which deals in mega projects such as high speed trains, dedicated freight corridors, electrification, capacity expansion and tech development.”

Indian Railways will also be represented by two of its overseas arms – RITES and IRCON International Limited. While RITES deals in consultancy of transport and infrastructure and export packages of rolling stock, the IRCON is mainly into construction of railway projects.

“These are exciting times for railway industry. There are serious challenges in the road and air transportation sector, hence, the upgradation of the railway infrastructure is the need of the hour. Indian Railways has realized that accumulated backlog investment is the root cause of its inability to improve the market share or quality of services,” said Gupta.

Indian railways aims to concentrate on major investment projects in the areas of dedicated freight corridor, high speed rail, modernization of signaling system, track and rolling stock maintenance with major emphasis on safety. “Our future plan is to focus on electrification, 100% use of LED lights, ETCS level II of signaling and high speed technologies.” — SG