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November 29 2010 | Last updated 1 minute ago

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Union Railway: Parsons-Systra get

contract
Appointment moves Union Railway project from concept to implementation.

By Himendra Mohan Kumar, Staff Reporter

Published: 15:34 November 28, 2010

Abu Dhabi: The chief executive of Union Railway, the master developer and operator of
the UAE's national railway, said yesterday they have appointed Parsons-Systra, a joint
venture between US-based Parsons and France's Systra, as the project management
consultant and Parsons Brinckerhoff as the preliminary engineering services consultant
for stages one and two of the Dh40 billion rail project.

Richard Bowker told reporters on the sidelines of an industry event here that Union
Railway will be tendering for the construction contracts for the first segment of the rail
project in early 2011. He said the UAE rail line will link with a train system covering the six
nations in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) within seven years.

"Under the management of Parsons-Systra, Parsons Brinckerhoff's role will be to finalise

the concept, then prepare the preliminary design and the tender documents for the
construction of Stages 1 and 2 of the network," the Union Railway said.

Part of Parsons-Systra's role as project management consultant will be to supervise the

preliminary engineering work for Stages 1 and 2, it added.

Milestone

"The development of an integrated railway network signals a new era for the UAE's
transport system. The appointment of a project management consultant at the same time
as a preliminary engineering services consultant marks a critical milestone in the progress
of the project, as we now move from the concept stage to the actual implementation
stage," Bowker said.

In September, Union Railway appointed UBS Investment Bank to provide advice on

developing a strategic financing plan for the construction and operation of Union Railway.

A countrywide railway network in the UAE will be rolled out over the next seven to eight
years, Bowker said previously.

The Union Railway will extend up to 1,500 kilometres across all seven emirates. The
railway will connect the UAE to Saudi Arabia via Ghweifat in the west and Oman via Al
Ain in the east.

The UAE plans to have its first operational railway track in 2013 or 2014 and trains will
transport granulated sulphur from the Shah and Habshan fields of the state-owned Abu
Dhabi National Oil Company to Ruwais. The UAE railway network will be built as per
international standards.

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gulfnews : Union Railway: Parsons-Systra get contract Page 2 of 2

The trains are expected to run at 80km/h and 120km/h for freight transport and between
160km/h and 200km/h for passenger service. The Union Railway was established in 2009
under Federal Law Number 2.

Meanwhile, a summit of GCC nations is scheduled to take place in Abu Dhabi this week
and there may be talks to link the railways in member countries.

http://gulfnews.com/business/general/union-railway-parsons-systra-get-contract-1.719672 11/29/2010