Union Railway under pressure for delivery
Train project will connect all seven emirates
Abu Dhabi: Richard Bowker, Chief Executive Officer of Union Railway — the railway network project that will connect all seven emirates — said yesterday that there is "enormous pressure" for delivery at the Middle East Rail 2011 Conference taking place in Abu Dhabi this week.
The Union Railway which comprises a network of up to 1,500 km, will connect the UAE with Saudi Arabia via the Ghweifat border in the west and Oman via Al Ain in the east.
While the project has been phased over a number years, the first phase is due for completion by 2014.
"So our first section of the railway which will be tendered very shortly has got to happen," he said.
"That's the biggest challenge — making sure we stay true to the vision of doing it right and at the same time making sure it actually happens," he added.
The last bidding opportunity was in October 2010 for the supply of all or any part of track ballast, rails, switches and crossings and precast concrete sleepers for Stage 0 of the Shah Habshan Railway Project, which is part of the Union Railway network in the western region of the emirate of Abu Dhabi.
It is expected to be awarded in the second quarter of 2011.
The almost Dh40 billion project will accommodate heavy freight trains that will run at speeds of up to 120km/h. Passenger trains will run at speeds of up to 200 km/h.
Big picture
"We're building an industry here from scratch. There isn't a railway industry here, so the challenges are to create something which is going to meet the needs of the UAE," he said.
However, looking at the bigger picture, it's not only the UAE that is going to be well-connected, but the whole of the GCC region as well.
"The plan is to connect [Saudi Arabia's] north south railways through a Jordanian border and connecting it to the Middle East up to Turkey and from there forward to even Europe," said Ali Saad Al Karni, Vice-President of Technical Affairs at Saudi Railway Organisation to Gulf News yesterday.
"That's the strategic plan for the GCC and not just Saudi Arabia."
