Conrad Dubai, 21 October 2014. The annual MEED MENA Rail & Metro Summit was told this morning that delivering rail and metro megaprojects in the Middle East present unique challenges.
“A lot of the projects in the region are aiming for completion in the period to 2022,” Fluor (UAE) programme manager Dago Beek said in a keynote speech. “2020 is a huge challenge whether it is for projects or rolling stock.” “These are strategic projects where co-operation with all stakeholders is required,” he said. “We need confirmation of stakeholder standards and regulations. We need the required drawings for existing and proposed services. And we need to deal with overlapping transport corridors.”
“We need transport safety laws and multi-modal regulations,” Beek said. “Right of way and land acquisition is an issue. Every piece of land is owned and getting alignment straight is a huge challenge.”
“We should move in a more professional manner when dealing with systems assurance,” Beek said. “And we need to be more professional when we are dealing with communication.”
Fluor Corporation and Parsons Brinckerhoff are project managers on the $7bn Saudi Landbridge rail project which will connect Jeddah with Riyadh and the Saudi capital with the Gulf coast.
The Strategic Partners in the MEED MENA Rail & Metro Summit are Fluor and Siemens. Gold sponsors are ZTE and Bechtel. Associate Sponsor is Louis Berger Lunch sponsor is Vossloh Middle East. Bronze Sponsors are Autodesk and Thales. Conference Sponsors are CSR, Arabian Railway Company, Drake & Scull and Hill International. Networking sponsor is Parsons.