UK
firm seeking large rail track order from Iran
(Iran
Mania, 27/2/04)
LONDON:According
to Iran's State News Agency the UK's Corus rail is
poised to win a track order from Iran that would
help to secure jobs at its Workington plant in
north-west England. There was no mention of the
value of the order but according to the local Times and Star newspaper,
the supply would be over two years and would
treble the amount of rails, currently 20,000
tonnes a year, being shipped through Workington`s
port.
F083-080304
Posted
8th March 04
Bahrain,
Qatar finalise plan for causeway link
(Arab
News, 24/2/04)
MANAMA:
A
causeway linking Bahrain and Qatar and an
agreement on supplying Bahrain with Qatari natural
gas were the highlights of a two-day visit by
Qatari Crown Prince Sheikh Jassim Ibn Hamad Al
Thani to Bahrain. According to a joint communiqué
issued at the end of the talks, Qatar and Bahrain
agreed “on swiftly finalising the necessary
studies to build a causeway linking the two
countries, and the possibility of signing an
agreement with Qatar to provide Bahrain with
natural gas.” Preliminary estimates have put the
cost of the road link at up to $2 billion.
F082-080304
Posted
8th March 04
South
span of Iraq's Al Mat bridge reopens
(Yahoo
News, 10/2/04)
BAGHDAD:Bechtel
has announced the opening of the south span of the
Al Mat Bridge, a key transportation link in Iraq
approximately 300 kilometres west of Baghdad. The
four-lane Al Mat bridge is located on Highway 10,
which carries over 3,000 trucks daily, bringing
humanitarian aid and goods to Baghdad and other
Iraqi cities from Jordan. To accommodate traffic
on this vital route, Bechtel constructed a bypass
around the damaged bridge, which opened in July
2003.
F081-230204
Posted
23rd February 04
Rail
transport consensus with Iraq
(Iran
mania News, 20/2/04)
TEHRAN:
A
senior official with the Ministry of Road and
Transportation has said that the Iranian and Iraqi
transportation ministers have agreed on rail
transport co-operation between the two countries.
Alamouti, director general for international
affairs at the Ministry of Road and
Transportation, said that once Iran's rail network
is linked to that of Iraq, the Islamic state's
rail transport will reach Syria and onward to
Europe. The official said Iraqi and Syrian
officials have expressed their readiness to
contribute to this project.
F080-230204
Posted
23rd February 04
Rail
project: 10,000 jobs on the way
(Gulf
Daily News, 6/1/04)
DAMASCUS:Syria and Saudi Arabia have
laid the foundation stone for a $45 million to
$70m modernisation project of the renowned Al
Hijaz Railway Station in Damascus, a project
officials say will create 10,000 jobs. The station
is the northern terminus for the old Al Hijaz
railway, an old Ottoman-built line that took
pilgrims to Mecca in Saudi Arabia and was intended
to boost commerce in the Arab region. The project
is being financed and carried out by Saudi
Arabia's Al Salam Group.
F079-190104
Posted
19th January 04
Impact
of Bahrain-Qatar causeway under spotlight
(Bahrain
Tribune, 13-1-04)
MANAMA:
Bahrain needs a comprehensive strategy to cope with the
possible traffic snarls after the completion of
the $1.7 billion Bahrain-Qatar causeway, said a
research report presented by a group of the Gulf
Executive Development Programme at the Bahrain
Institute of Banking and Finance (BIBF). BIBF, in
conjunction with Darden Graduate School of
Business Administration of the University of
Virginia, has organised a series of presentations
as part of the GEDP graduation programme. The
areas covered by the presenters were the
conceptual design including the alignment and
landing points of the 38-kilometre causeway.
F078-190104
Posted
19th January 04
EIB
loans $32 million to Amman Ring Road project
(Menareport.com,
23/12/03)
AMMAN:The
European Investment Bank (EIB), the EU's long-term
financing institution, is providing a loan of $32
million (€26 million) to the Hashemite Kingdom
of Jordan for the construction of the first phase
of the Amman ring road. The project consists of
the construction of the first phase of the planned
road, which is expected to have a total length of
116 kilometres. The first phase will see the
construction of 41 kilometres on the eastern end
of Amman. It also includes the relocation of the
Amman Customs Depot and the infrastructure and
utility services for an inland port.
F077-050103
Posted
05th January 04
RO7.69m
Arab fund loan for road project
(Times
of Oman, 28/12/2003)
MUSCAT:
A
loan agreement worth RO7.692 million
(approximately KD6 million) was signed between the
Sultanate and the Arab Fund for Economic and
Social Development at the Finance Ministry
recently to finance part of the cost of
rehabilitating Nizwa-Thumrait Road (second phase).
Ahmed bin Abdulnabi Macki, minister of national
economy and deputy chairman of the Financial
Affairs and Energy Resources Council, signed the
agreement on behalf of the Sultanate's government,
while Abdul Latif Yousef Al Hamad, chairman of the
Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development and
its director-general, signed for his side.
F076-220103
Posted
05th January 04
EIB
loans Tunisia €45 million to upgrade metro network
(Times
of Oman, 2/12/03)
TUNIS:The European Investment Bank (EIB),
the long-term financing arm of the European Union
(EU), will provide a further €45 million loan
under its "Facility for Euro-Mediterranean
Investment and Partnership,” for the light metro
network in Greater Tunis, Tunisia. The network
will be EIB’s first partnership with Société
des Transports de Tunis (STT), the newly created
entity set up by the Tunisian authorities in early
2003 by the merger of Société du Métro Léger
de Tunis and Société Nationale de Transport.
F075-221203
Posted
22nd December 03
Spain,
Morocco to build rail tunnel
(Times
of Oman, 2/12/03)
RABAT:
Spain and Morocco have agreed
to build a 39 kilometre rail tunnel beneath the
Mediterranean sea, Spain's Development Ministry
has said. The tunnel will run beneath the Strait
of Gibraltar, which separates Spain from North
Africa. The site was chosen because the
Mediterranean at that point is only around 300
metres deep. The project for a fixed link, first
mooted in 1980, was revived at a summit in Morocco
earlier this month.
RABAT:Moroccan
Railways (ONCF) has awarded Italy’s Ansaldobreda, a subsidiary of the
Finmeccanica Company, an order for the supply of 18 double deck Electrical
Multiple Unit (EMU) trains, with an option for six more. The base order is
worth a total €143 million. Service is planned to begin in 2006. This is
the first time ONCF has purchased double deck trains. The new trains have
an operating speed to 160 kilometers per hour, a first class compartment,
a closed-circuit toilet in each car and a high capacity air conditioning
system.
F073-081203
Posted
8th December 03
RO6.41m
Kuwaiti Fund loan for Nizwa-Thumrait road project
(Times
of Oman, 2/12/03)
MUSCAT:
A
loan agreement was signed at the Finance Ministry between the Sultanate's
government and the Kuwaiti Fund for Arab Economic Development.
Accordingly, the Kuwaiti Fund will grant the Sultanate a loan of 5 million
Kuwaiti dinar to finance part of the RO15.981 million cost of constructing
Nizwa/Thumrait road (second phase).As
per the agreement the loan will be paid through biannual instalments for
16 years, preceded by a four-year period of grace. The project is meant to
develop transport services between the Sultanate northern and southern
parts.
DAMASCUS:The
railway linking the Syrian town of Aleppo to Mosul
in northern Iraq is scheduled to re-open this
month. The train will depart Aleppo on Thursday
nights and will make five stops during the 11-hour
journey to Mosul, reported SANA. The
745-kilometre railway was first restored in 2000
after a decade-long interruption following
Iraq’s 1990 invasion of Kuwait. The railway was
opened to facilitate the growth of bilateral
trade, as well as the use of Syrian and Lebanese
ports to import goods from Europe.
MANAMA:A
multi-million dinar link to Durrat Al Bahrain
(Ministry of Works and Housing) was the largest
project for which bids were opened this week at
the Tender Board Committee's weekly meeting. Seven
contractors bid for the project which was open
only to selected parties. The lowest bid came from
Cybarco which quoted BD17, 650, 000 and the
highest bid came from Wade Adams and Itlas
Transport at BD24, 393, 119. Forty tenders were
opened - seven for the Ministry of Works and
Housing, 14 for Central Store, six for the
Ministry of Health, four for the Ministry of
Electricity and Water, eight for Bapco and one for
Civil Aviation Affairs.
F070-101103
Posted
10th November 03
Seven
contractors bid for Durrat Al Bahrain
road link (Bahrain
Tribune, 06/11/2003)
MANAMA:A
multi-million dinar link to Durrat Al Bahrain
(Ministry of Works and Housing) was the largest
project for which bids were opened this week at
the Tender Board Committee's weekly meeting. Seven
contractors bid for the project which was open
only to selected parties. The lowest bid came from
Cybarco which quoted BD17, 650, 000 and the
highest bid came from Wade Adams and Itlas
Transport at BD24, 393, 119. Forty tenders were
opened - seven for the Ministry of Works and
Housing, 14 for Central Store, six for the
Ministry of Health, four for the Ministry of
Electricity and Water, eight for Bapco and one for
Civil Aviation Affairs.
F069-101103
Posted
10th November 03
Saudi
Aramco's strategies to come under scanner at Gulf
Traffic
(Khaleej
Times, 3/11/03)
DUBAI:
The
impact of Saudi Aramco's road functions and
strategies will come under the spotlight in
December at Gulf Traffic, the only event in the
Middle East for traffic and transport
professionals, which is to be addressed by Saudi
Arabia's Deputy Minister of Transport, Abdullah Al
Mogbel. Supervisor of Saudi Aramco's Roads
Engineering Unit Saleh A Al Abdulgader will
present an overview of the organisation's road
system, maintenance and management techniques,
road safety and improvements, technology adoption
and its interaction with relevant authorities.
Deputy Minister Al Mogbel and Al Abdulgader are
among four Saudi speakers due to address Gulf
Traffic, which will be held at the Dubai
International Convention Centre from December 8-11
this year.
F068-101103
Posted
10th November 03
Expansion
of Saudi's railroad system to include the western region (MENA
FN 13/10/03)
RIYADH:The
expansion of Saudi Arabia's railroad system to
include the western region of the Kingdom should
begin within the next two years, following Gulf
Co-operation Council approval of a GCC-wide
railroad plan, the Saudi
Gazette reported. The first phase of the GCC
railway loop is the construction of rail line
linking Manama, the capital of Bahrain, with the
Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia and connecting as
far south as Doha, Qatar. The plan calls for a
rail bridge linking Qatar and Bahrain as part of
the first phase of construction
F067-201003
Posted
20th October 03
Tyron
appoints Oman distributors
(Trade
Arabia 11-10-03)
MUSCAT:
Saud Bahwan Group (SBG) and Mohsin
Haider Darwish (MHD), which represent popular
automotive brands in Oman, have been appointed
distributors of Tyron, a leading tyre safety
product that eliminates accidents during blow-outs
and punctures. An Oman
Daily Observer report said that the new
arrangement ensures that Tyron customers will now
have a strong and reputable nation-wide network of
service outlets to look after them, Nasir al
Wadhahi, Tyron Master Distributor for the Middle
East, said recently. "The interest in Tyron
distributorship is increasing and we have signed
distributors for the United Arab Emirates, Saudi
Arabia and Qatar even as negotiations are in place
for Bahrain, Kuwait, Egypt, Morocco, Sudan, Iran,
India and Lebanon.”
F066-201003
Posted
20th October 03
Abdullah
opens highway projects (Arab
News, 25/9/03)
JEDDAH:Crown
Prince Abdullah, deputy premier and commander of
the National Guard, this week inaugurated two
expressways that constitute a major portion of an
east-west highway project. Prince Abdullah
unveiled the plaque to commemorate the opening in
Madinah. Senior officials including Prince Nawaf,
director of intelligence, and the governors of
Makkah, Madinah and Qasim attended the opening
ceremony. Prince Abdullah is scheduled to open a
number of development projects in the region.
Transport Minister Dr. Jabara Al Seraisry said the
two roads — the Qasim-Madinah Expressway and the
Madinah-Rabigh-Thole Expressway — were
constructed at a total cost of SR3.3 billion. More
than 95 contractors had taken part in the
construction of the two expressways with a
combined length of 648 kilometres.
F065-061003
Posted
6th October 03
Highest
safety rating for Sorento
(Times
of Oman, 21-9-03)
The
2003 Kia Sorento mid-size SUV has earned the
United States federal government’s highest
safety rating in new side impact crash tests. The
Sorento received five-stars for both the driver
and rear-seat passengers, according to information
released by the National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration (NHTSA). The Sorento was one of
only three new models in a group of vehicles
tested recently by NHTSA to receive the five-star
rating in side impact crash protection. A five
star rating indicates a risk of serious injury of
five per cent or less. The side crash tests are
part of NHTSA’s New Car Assessment Programme (NCAP).
NHTSA tested the 2003 3.5 litre V6 Sorento in a
simulated intersection-type collision with a 3,015
pound barrier moving at 38.5mph into a standing
vehicle.
F064-061003
Posted
6th October 03
Aleppo-Baghdad
rail link to reopen (Trade
Arabia, 15/9/03)
DAMASCUS:Trains are due to start running from the northern
Syrian town of Aleppo to
Baghdad by the end of this month, government
sources have said. The start
date was decided at a meeting last week of
officials from Iraq and Syria's state-run rail
networks, held in Mosul. Passenger trains are
expected to make the journey once a week, leaving
Aleppo on Thursday and returning from Baghdad on
Monday. The railway station in Aleppo, called
"Baghdad Station," was built by the
Germans in the 19th century. It was a major
communications route between Syria, Iraq and
Turkey under the Ottoman empire.
F063-220903
Posted
22nd September 03
Aleppo-Baghdad
rail link to reopen (Trade
Arabia, 15/9/03)
DAMASCUS:Trains are due to start running from the northern
Syrian town of Aleppo to
Baghdad by the end of this month, government
sources have said. The start
date was decided at a meeting last week of
officials from Iraq and Syria's state-run rail
networks, held in Mosul. Passenger trains are
expected to make the journey once a week, leaving
Aleppo on Thursday and returning from Baghdad on
Monday. The railway station in Aleppo, called
"Baghdad Station," was built by the
Germans in the 19th century. It was a major
communications route between Syria, Iraq and
Turkey under the Ottoman empire.
F062-220903
Posted
22nd September 03
Kuwait
to set up 'land port' near border
(Trade
Arabia, 3-9-03)
KUWAIT CITY:Kuwait plans to establish a "land port" near
its borders with Iraq and SaudiArabia
to handle increasing traffic and trade with its
northern Iraqi
neighbour. "The (transport) ministry is
seriously considering the establishment and
management of a 'land port' to provide necessary
services for all transport vehicles, whether
commercial or private," Hamed Khajah,
undersecretary of Kuwait's transport ministry,
told CNBC Arabiya television. Following the war, "hundreds of transport
vehicles are heading towards the northern
border," he told the satellite business
channel.
