Middle East railway industry news
Latest railway industry news from the Middle East, including operations, infrastructure, rolling stock and policy.
Railway planned as part of India – Middle East – Europe Economic Corridor
ASIA: Ambitions to develop an India – Middle East – Europe economic corridor with sea transport from India to the Gulf region and a railway linking Middle Eastern countries with each other and to Europe were announced at the G20 summit in New Delhi.
Work starts on Iran – Iraq rail link
INTERNATIONAL: Construction of a cross-border rail link between Iraq and Iran was formally inaugurated on September 2 with a foundation stone laying ceremony at the Shalamcheh border crossing point near Basra.
Egyptian track renewal and resignalling contract signed
EGYPT: A consortium of Thales and Orascom Construction has signed a €300m contract with Egyptian National Railways to renew tracks and resignal the Cairo – Giza – Beni Suef railway line.
Doha’s Education City tram network expands
QATAR: The third and final section of Doha’s isolated Education City tram network, the Green Line, has opened for revenue service.
Be’er Sheva light rail plans to be further developed
ISRAEL: The Infrastructure Planning & Development Administration has given the go-ahead for the further development of plans for a 25 km light rail line in Be’er Sheva.
Comment: Trains on the tourist trail
As summer moves into autumn in the northern hemisphere, a debate is beginning over the future of tourism, catalysed in part by the searing heatwaves and wildfires that have been sweeping across much of the planet.
Israel Railways to switch to entirely double-deck fleet
Tel Aviv light rail Red Line opens
Linking Israel rail project gets underway to connect north and south
Egypt: Safely expanding Cairo’s rail network
Tel Aviv Purple Line reaches financial close
Škoda awarded €1bn contract to upgrade and maintain 280 Egyptian locomotives
Four shortlisted to take forward Haifa – Nazareth light rail route
Iraq plans rail link from Turkey to the Gulf
Rasht – Astara railway construction agreement signed
British railway supply sector targets Middle East opportunities
UAE luxury cruise train service planned
Record traffic on Saudi high speed line during Ramadan
Tehran metro extensions open
Dream of the Desert cruise train planned for Saudi Arabia
Egypt: Building a Suez Canal on rails
Second Karaj metro line opened for limited service
Egyptian high speed line track contract awarded
UAE – Oman railway co-operation agreement signed