Middle East
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NewsDesert train air-conditioning units delivered
UAE: Liebherr Transportation Systems (China) has supplied heating, ventilation & air-conditioning units for three push-pull trainsets which Etihad Rail ordered from CRRC Qingdao Sifang last year. Each trainset will comprise a diesel locomotive, five intermediate passenger cars and a driving trailer coach. They have a design ...
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NewsGuardian of the Nile luxury cruise train planned
EGYPT: Italian high-end hospitality company Arsenale and Egyptian National Railways have signed heads of terms for the launch of a Guardian of the Nile luxury cruise train in 2027. It is Arsenale’s fourth international rail cruise project, following announcements in Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Uzbekistan. ...
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Metro Report InternationalBaghdad metro consultancy contract awarded
IRAQ: The city of Baghdad has awarded a contract for the provision of project management and supervision services for the US$17·5bn metro project. The contract has been awarded to a 50:50 joint venture of Malaysian company HSS Engineering and its UAE-registered long-term collaborative partner Consultant HSS. ...
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NewsIran’s Caspian Sea rail link commissioned
IRAN: The 37 km extension of RAI’s Qazvin – Rasht line to the Caspian Sea port of Bandar-e Anzali was opened on June 20, completing a further section of the International North-South Transport Corridor through the central Asia region.
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NewsEgyptian resignalling project completed
EGYPT: Alstom has completed a programme to resignal the 240 km line running up the Nile south of Cairo from Beni Suef to Asyut. This has increased capacity and raised the line speed to 160 km/h. The signalling renewals included replacement of the previous electro-mechanical equipment, ...
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NewsDomestically produced Iranian locomotive unveiled
IRAN: Mapna Group has unveiled a MAP30 freight locomotive with a MP610 diesel engine. Mapna said the 2 950 kW locomotive is designed to withstand the most severe weather conditions and would be ‘a robust addition to the country’s rail fleet’. Components including the traction motors, ...
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Metro Report InternationalHaifa to Nazareth light rail contract signed
ISRAEL: The €1bn PPP contract to design, finance, build, operate and maintain the 41 km Nofit Light Rail inter-urban line between Haifa and Nazareth has been signed by the HN - Light Rail Line Ltd consortium and project promoter Trans Israel. The consortium of Alstom and ...
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NewsVelaro EGY high speed train for Egypt on test
Source: Siemens Mobility EGYPT: The first of the Velaro EGY high speed trainsets which Siemens Mobility is to supply to Egypt is undergoing dynamic testing at the Wegberg-Wildenrath circuit in Germany ahead of delivery later this year. Siemens said the start of testing marked ‘a big ...
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Metro Report InternationalCairo metro line 3 Phase 3C opens
EGYPT: Phase 3C of Cairo metro Line 3 opened for passenger services on May 15. The extension runs 7 km from Kit-Kat to Cairo University in Giza with three underground and two elevated stations, and takes Line 3 to 41·2 km with 34 stations in total. ...
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NewsSiemens presents Egyptian Desiro as high speed rail construction progresses
EGYPT: Siemens Mobility presented one of the 94 Desiro HC electric multiple-units that it is supplying for Egypt to the international press at its Wegberg-Wildenrath Test & Validation Centre on May 8. A consortium of Siemens, Orascom Construction and The Arab Contractors was awarded a turnkey ...
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NewsTurkey, Iraq, Qatar and UAE to develop Gulf to Europe rail corridor
ASIA: Turkey, Iraq, Qatar and the UAE have signed a memorandum of understanding to create the Development Road, a 1 200 km railway and road corridor which would link Al-Faw container port in the Iraqi city of Basra with Turkey. The MoU was signed when Turkey’s ...
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NewsHafeet Rail lets contracts to build Oman – UAE railway
ASIA: Three agreements have been signed paving the way for construction of a 303 km mixed-traffic railway linking the port of Sohar in Oman with Abu Dhabi in the UAE. The contracts for the project, which is expected to have a total budget of around US$3bn, ...
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NewsA1 rail link extension in Jerusalem approved
ISRAEL: The National Committee for Design & Construction of Infrastructure has approved proposals for an extension of Israel Railways’ direct A1 line under the centre of Jerusalem.
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Metro Report InternationalLusail tram extensions open
QATAR: Two more sections of the Lusail Tram network north of Doha were opened on April 8, adding a further 10·4 route-km. The Orange Line has been extended by 7·6 km from Al Wessil to Rawdat Lusail, serving 10 new stops. North ...
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NewsUAE rail services business launched
UAE: Facilities management company Emrill and rail recruitment and consultancy firm Clemtech have launched Emrill Rail, which aims to simplify working in the UAE by providing cost-effective technical resources and service delivery for all aspects of rolling stock and rail support activities. Dubai-based Emrill Rail will ...
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NewsBritish Steel for the Suez Canal on tracks
EGYPT: British Steel has won a multi-million-pound contract to supply 9 500 tonnes of rail from its Scunthorpe plant in the UK for use on the 250 km/h Green Line railway. This corridor will link Mersa Matruh on the Mediterranean coast with Alexandria, the New Administrative ...
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Metro Report InternationalRail skills and innovation collaboration
UAE: A strategic partnership to develop rail sector skills and innovation in the UAE and the wider region has been agreed by Dubai metro and tram operator Keolis MHI and the UK’s University of Birmingham, which has a campus in Dubai. Students will be offered internships ...
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Metro Report InternationalEasier ticket gates for Paris and Egypt
TICKETING: One of the 1 200 custom-designed ticket gates that Easier is supplying for the Grand Paris Express automated metro project was on show at the Transport Ticketing Global event in London. Sales Director Alain Combette told Metro Report International that the ...
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Metro Report InternationalHaifa – Nazareth light rail contract winner announced
ISRAEL: The Ministry of Transport & Road Safety and project promoter Trans Israel have selected the Group Three consortium of Alstom, Electra and Minrav for a PPP contract to finance, design and construct the railway systems and rolling stock for the Nofit Light Rail line and ...
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In depthIran: International connections take shape slowly
Work is progressing on various cross-border rail links as Iranian Railways seeks to strengthen its role as a Eurasian rail hub. Toma Bačić investigates.