Middle East – Page 15
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NewsLebanon railway revival discussed
LEBANON: Long-standing proposals to rehabilitate the out-of-use railway which once ran 80 km along the coast from Beirut to Tripoli were discussed at a meeting of the EuroMed Transport Rail project in Beirut on March 22. An action plan is to be presented at a conference to be held in ...
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NewsPresidents officially open Azerbaijan – Iran rail link
ASIA: The rail link between Astara in Azerbaijan and similarly-named town on the Iranian side of the border was officially opened with a ceremony on March 29. Presidents Hassan Rouhanid of Iran and Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan participated via a video link from the Azerbaijan – Iran Business Forum which ...
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Metro Report InternationalDubai Metro extension financial close
UAE: Financial close for Phase 2 of the Route 2020 project to extend the Dubai Metro’s Red Line by 15 km from Nakheel Harbour & Tower to the Expo 2020 site was achieved on March 20. Banco Santander, First Abu Dhabi Bank, HSBC Bank Middle East, Intesa ...
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NewsIsrael Railways signs Siemens EMU contract
ISRAEL: A contract worth up to €900m for Siemens to supply to Israel Railways with up to 60 four-car and six-car Desiro HC double-deck electric multiple-units over 10 years was signed in Lod on March 7. This includes a firm order for the supply of an initial ...
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NewsDoha Msheireb Downtown tramway to open this year
QATAR: A 2 km circular tramway is under construction in Doha’s Msheireb Downtown area with opening planned for September. The tramway will serve a ‘smart city’ which is being developed at cost of US$5·5bn by the Qatar Foundation’s Msheireb Properties business with the aim of reviving Doha’s ...
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NewsAlstom ships first Lusail tram
QATAR: Alstom has shipped the first tram for Lusail from its La Rochelle factory in France. It will travel by ship from the port of Barcelona in Spain to Doha, and is expected to arrive next month. In 2014 Qatar Rail awarded a contract to a consortium ...
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NewsHaramain High Speed Rail opening date in jeopardy
SAUDI ARABIA: The planned launch in March of commercial services on the Haramain high speed line between Makkah and Madinah is in doubt following further delays in completing three of the line’s five stations. Announcing on January 30 that he would be visiting Saudi Arabia in the near future to ...
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NewsAlexandria electric bus contract signed
EGYPT: Alexandria Passenger Transportation Authority signed a contract with BYD on January 24 for the supply of 15 electric buses. Deliveries of the 12 m long K9 buses are due to begin in the first half of this year. BYD will also supply 18 charging masts.
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NewsFirst Lusail tram completed
QATAR: Alstom has presented the first Citadis for the Lusail Tram project to officials from Qatar Rail, following the completion of factory acceptance tests in France. Alstom is supplying 28 trams for the Lusail network. Branded Al Mehmel, the vehicles’ design is inspired by a type of ...
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NewsJerusalem A1 fast line opening date announced
ISRAEL: The newly built A1 fast line to Jerusalem will open on March 30, Transport Minister Israel Katz has announced. Only one of the two tracks electrified at 25 kV 50 Hz will be operational at first, limiting services to two trains per hour in each direction. The previously announced ...
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NewsIsrael Railways orders double-deck coaches for use with electric locos
ISRAEL: A €104m firm order for Bombardier Transportation to supply a further 54 Twindexx Vario double-deck coaches was signed by Israel Railways on December 31. Deliveries are scheduled to be completed by August 2020. The order has been placed within a October 2010 framework agreement. The latest order covers 11 ...
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NewsInaugural run on Haramain high speed line
SAUDI ARABIA: An inaugural train ran between Madinah and Makkah over the Haramain high speed railway on December 31. Completing the 450 km trip in 2 h 52 min, the train conveyed Saudi Transport Minister Dr Nabil bin Mohammed Al-Amoudi and Spanish Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Álvaro Iranzo, along with ...
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NewsElectric tests hit 160 km/h in Israel
ISRAEL: A Bombardier Traxx AC electric locomotive on test on the A1 fast line reached a new national record speed of 160 km/h on December 21. The test run took place on the 12 km section between Anava Junction and Latrun monastery, where final telecommunications fit-out works are in progress. ...
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NewsRussian firms to invest in Iranian rolling stock
IRAN: A memorandum of co-operation for the joint production of rolling stock was signed by national railway RAI and the Russian Export Centre on December 18. The memorandum provides for Russian companies to invest €3bn in rolling stock financing and the formation of joint ventures which would support the localisation ...
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NewsQatar metro and light rail operating contract awarded
QATAR: Public transport authority Qatar Rail has awarded the RKH Qitarat joint venture between a consortium of RATP Dev and Keolis (49%) and local construction, property and trading business Hamad Group (51%) a contract to operate and maintain the Doha metro and Lusail light rail networks. The contract awarded on ...
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NewsBaghdad and Basra urban rail memorandum signed by Alstom
IRAQ: A memorandum of understanding for the development of urban rail projects in Baghdad and Basra has been signed by the Iraqi government and Alstom as part of a Franco-Iraqi inter-governmental meeting. A 20 km elevated light rail line is proposed for Baghdad, which would link Mustansiriyah, ...
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NewsIran orders Hyundai Rotem diesel multiple-units
IRAN: A €720m contract for Hyundai Rotem and Iran Rail Industries Development Co to supply 150 three-car diesel multiple-units to national railway RAI was signed on December 2. Hyundai Rotem will produce 150 cars at its plant at Changwon in South Korea, with the remaining 300 to be assembled locally ...
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NewsMakkah – Madinah high speed line demonstration service planned
SAUDI ARABIA: A demonstration service on the 450 km Haramain High Speed Rail line between Makkah, Jeddah and Madinah is planned by the end of the year. There would be two trips in each direction for invited guests on Fridays and Saturdays. With the planned opening date of March 15 ...
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NewsThales awarded Egyptian signalling contract
EGYPT: Egyptian National Railways has awarded Thales a three-year contract to modernise signalling and telecoms on the 180 km Asyut – Nagaa Hammadi section of the Cairo – Aswan corridor. Announcing the contract on November 16, Thales said its integrated signalling and communications technology would be designed to work with ...
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Metro Report InternationalTunnelling begins on Dubai metro extension
UAE: Ruler of Dubai Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum officially launched tunnelling on the Route 2020 metro extension on October 24. Twin tunnels 8·8 m in diameter are being bored by 103 m long tunnel boring machine Al Wugeisha Expo 2020. The 3·2 km section from ...