Abu Dhabi: The chief executive of Union Railway, the master developer and operator of the UAE's national railway, said yesterday they have appointed Parsons-Systra, a joint venture between US-based Parsons and France's Systra, as the project management consultant and Parsons Brinckerhoff as the preliminary engineering services consultant for stages one and two of the Dh40 billion rail project.
Richard Bowker told reporters on the sidelines of an industry event here that Union Railway will be tendering for the construction contracts for the first segment of the rail project in early 2011. He said the UAE rail line will link with a train system covering the six nations in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) within seven years.
"Under the management of Parsons-Systra, Parsons Brinckerhoff's role will be to finalise the concept, then prepare the preliminary design and the tender documents for the construction of Stages 1 and 2 of the network," the Union Railway said.
Part of Parsons-Systra's role as project management consultant will be to supervise the preliminary engineering work for Stages 1 and 2, it added.
Milestone
"The development of an integrated railway network signals a new era for the UAE's transport system. The appointment of a project management consultant at the same time as a preliminary engineering services consultant marks a critical milestone in the progress of the project, as we now move from the concept stage to the actual implementation stage," Bowker said.
In September, Union Railway appointed UBS Investment Bank to provide advice on developing a strategic financing plan for the construction and operation of Union Railway.
A countrywide railway network in the UAE will be rolled out over the next seven to eight years, Bowker said previously.
The Union Railway will extend up to 1,500 kilometres across all seven emirates. The railway will connect the UAE to Saudi Arabia via Ghweifat in the west and Oman via Al Ain in the east.
The UAE plans to have its first operational railway track in 2013 or 2014 and trains will transport granulated sulphur from the Shah and Habshan fields of the state-owned Abu Dhabi National Oil Company to Ruwais. The UAE railway network will be built as per international standards.
The trains are expected to run at 80km/h and 120km/h for freight transport and between 160km/h and 200km/h for passenger service. The Union Railway was established in 2009 under Federal Law Number 2.
Meanwhile, a summit of GCC nations is scheduled to take place in Abu Dhabi this week and there may be talks to link the railways in member countries.
