Over 360 local, regional and global companies comprising about 500 individuals attended an industry workshop of Union Railway, which was established to develop UAE’s national railway.

Attendees at the Industry Outreach Workshop at Emirates Palace Hotel on Wednesday included some of the world’s most prominent contracting firms, consultants, suppliers and service providers.

The workshop represented a strategic and important step in the establishment of the railway, as a precursor to a formal process to invite proposals and tenders for the project’s execution.

The workshop was open to companies with rail experience in areas of architectural and engineering design, construction, supply of equipment such as railway track, crossings, ballast, cables, on-track plant, rolling stock, signaling and telecommunications and also manufacturers of pre-cast concrete products such as sleepers, culverts and other specialized equipment.

Richard Bowker, CEO of Union Railway, and senior representatives from Union Railway discussed project details and timelines, as well as the contract and procurement strategies for the first phase of the rail project.

Bowker said that the strong attendance reflected the confidence of the international business community in the investment climate of the UAE.

The workshop provided a thought-provoking, informative and interactive forum for potential partners to communicate with Union Railway and better understand their requirements, a statement said.

It also played a key role in helping to create an environment that fosters collaborative partnerships, the statement added.

The Union Railway covers a network of up to 1,500 km stretching across all seven Emirates. The railway will connect the UAE to Saudi Arabia via Ghweifat city in the West and Oman via Al Ain in the East. – TradeArabia News Service