Infrastructure
News
Middle East Rail set to mark
10th anniversary of the show
T
he Middle Eastern & North
African countries are forging ahead with plans to establish
a strong passenger and freight
transport network with 16 major
railway projects worth US$352
billion currently under way in the
region, according to Terrapinn
Middle East, organiser of Middle
East Rail, which will be held from
March 8 to 9 at Dubai International
Convention and Exhibition Centre.
“With current market conditions as
they are, it’s a great opportunity for
international rail suppliers to enter the market. Governments are
now diversifying their resources,
putting more emphasis on projects
that are not oil-related. With transport and logistics sectors playing
an increasingly important role in
the region’s economies, governments are now looking towards
innovative technologies to boost
economic sectors that will boost
intra-regional trade and tourism activities”, said Jamie Hosie,
Project Director, Middle East Rail.
According to ICAEW Economic Insight Middle East report, Kuwait,
Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Oman
will likely net the biggest windfalls,
with logistics forecast to contribute
13.6 percent, 12.1 percent, 11.7
percent and 11.7 percent to their
respective economies by 2018.
Middle East Rail will be held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mansour Bin Zayed
Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Presidential Affairs, UAE and in partnership
with the Ministry of Public Works
18
February 2016
UAE and the Federal Transport Authority - Land & Maritime.
Alongside a compelling two days of keynotes, panel discussions and research sharing, the show will spotlight projects
updates, with key government departments, railway operators and construction companies giving a first look at 2016
tenders and an understanding of the techniques and technologies being implemented to build these futuristic networks.
It will feature a line-up of over 300 exhibitors, covering all aspects
of rail infrastructure including rolling stock, fixed stock, systems integrators, consultancies, operators, signalling & communications,
maintenance and more . Many of the exhibitors are upgrading the
size of their stands this year. Siemens, Greenbriar, Bombardier,
Autodesk and Ansaldo are among the main sponsors for the show.
Commenting on the 10th anniversary of the show, Hosie said:
“For almost a decade, Middle East Rail has helped shape the
regional rail market through knowledge sharing, educating the
market and facilitating influential meetings. In 2016, visiting ministries and rail operators from the Middle East, North Africa, Central
Asia and the Indian Subcontinent will discuss the development
of passenger and freight rail projects alike and the key challenges faced in rolling out and operating successful rail networks.”
Workshops for the conference include stations and terminal design,
building intelligent transport IT solutions and GCC rail interoperability to name a few. A dedicated Cargo zone will focus on how businesses can best utilise the multimodal infrastructure in the region.
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