Region poised for railway boom

The Middle East will become the world’s fastest-growing railway region, experts predict, thanks to big projects in the UAE and wider GCC.

The four-day Mena Rail 2009 conference in Dubai this week has drawn strong interest from international companies and consultants, organisers say. With Gulf states embarking on rail projects to ease road congestion and carry freight efficiently and cost-effectively, Symon Rubens, managing director, Middle East, for Terrapinn, the conference’s organiser, said delegates were coming from Europe, Asia and Australia, drawn by the chance to win contracts for billion-dollar projects.

“This year there are general announcements and massive projects,” he said. “There are tenders out and there is a lot of business to be won. There is a global spotlight on the Middle East rail projects.”