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Abu Dhabi metro bids expected by end May
Source: BI-ME and Reuters , Author: BI-ME staff
Posted: Tue May 12, 2009 11:10 pm
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UAE. Abu Dhabi expects to receive proposals from consultancy firms by the end of May for a metro system slated to partially start in 2015 as it looks to relieve congestion, a government official said.

"The absence of a (major) public transport system worsens the problem," Abdelgader Elshabani, senior transportation planning specialist at Abu Dhabi's Department of Transport told a railways conference in Dubai on Tuesday.

Abu Dhabi plans to build a 130-km city-wide metro system to help address congestion in the city centre, where the population is projected to more than triple to 3.2 million by 2030.

However, Elshabani declined to name companies that are expected to bid for the contracts.

Faced with a poor public transport network, a growing young population, and an increase in expatriate numbers, Gulf Arab states are spending more than US$100 billion on railway projects to ease congestion, according to London-based MEED magazine.

Neighbouring Dubai is due to partially start a US$4.4 billion two-line metro network in September covering about 75 km.

Abu Dhabi's transport department wants to boost public transport usage to more than 30% by 2030 from less than 2 percent, Elshabani said.

The emirate is studying the possibility of introducing congestion charges and increasing the cost of fuel among other measures to limit private car usage, he said.

Elshabani added plans were also afoot for a 340-km light rail and tram network that connects to Dubai, Al Ain and the western region in the federation as well as a 580-km high speed rail system linking Abu Dhabi to the rest of the federation and other Gulf countries.

"One of the challenges all of us are facing is funding," Elshabani said. "There are many options for funding. We need to study it in detail," declining to be more specific.

Gulf Arab states plan to build a 1,940-km regional railway to link all six oil producers - Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. The network, which is expected to cost more than US$14 billion, is envisaged to be operational by 2016.

MIDDLE EAST BUSINESS COMMENT & ANALYSIS

date:Posted: February 9, 2010
UAE. Location and quality are driving apartment prices; while average prices decreased, select communities, including Palm Jumeirah and Downtown Burj Dubai, experienced slight increases according to Landmark Advisory's latest quarterly report.
date:Posted: February 8, 2010
INTERNATIONAL. Trying to achieve financial goals by pouring all of one's assets into emerging markets today, telecommunications tomorrow, and Japanese small-cap stocks next week is not a guarantee for achieving a sound financial plan.
date:Posted: February 8, 2010
INTERNATIONAL. The latest survey shows 46% of respondents expect their business travel to increase, marking a rise by 22 points compared with figures of the same period in 2009.
UAE. Location and quality are driving apartment prices; while average prices decreased, select communities, including Palm Jumeirah and Downtown Burj Dubai, experienced slight increases according to Landmark Advisory's latest quarterly report.