(MENAFN- Gulf Times) The Middle East, in particular the GCC states, would become a new milestone on the world railway map in the next decade with the completion of major projects currently under way in the region, said a top official of the International Union of Railways (UIC) yesterday.
Speaking at the inaugural session of the first international conference on Railway Interoperability, Standardisation, harmonisation in the Middle East, UIC secretary general Jean Pierre Loubinox said besides such ambitious projects as the Doha Metro and GCC railway network that interlinks the country, a series of activities are currently underway in Turkey and Iran.
"Projects in Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Iran include high speed rail, modernisation of freight and intermodal services and new regional and border connections," Loubinox said, adding that there has been considerable 'momentum' in the region's rail activities.
The UIM secretary general also hailed the initiatives being made by Jordan to set up railway links of over 1,000km for connecting the West Asian country with Saudi Arabia.
The UIM official said the project provided for the first time a complete picture of integrated and competitive railway transportation suited to meet the growing needs of that region's economy and population.
Referring to the necessity of cross-border railway connections, he cited the example of the New Rail Silk Road linking Asia to the Middle East and onward to Turkey and later to Europe.
Loubinox said the proposed project like New Rail Silk Road will open up huge transportation potential to the railways in the Middle East owing to such advantages as shorter journey times, higher safety and reliability, sustainability of transport.
The railway expert also highlighted the necessity of the countries in the region, including the GCC states, adopting common standards, rules for operations and legal systems for efficient and effective operations.
The UIM official also felt that railways would not be able to offer all advantages to the regional markets without interoperability and seamless cross border
operations.
Interoperability, he said, is the key to shape new rail transport routes linking across the Middle East, main oil production areas to ports and multi-modal terminals or to consumption areas in other countries.
Paul Veron, director of communications, UIC, said the Middle East and the GCC region would see the implementation of more than 21,000km of rail network by the turn of the 2030s.
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