Egis, an international group offering engineering, project structuring and operations services, has been awarded a project management consultancy (PMC) contract for the development of the UAE railway network (Stages 2 and 3).

As part of the deal, the French construction major will assist Etihad Rail, which has been tasked with developing and operating the network.

The existing and currently operated network of 264 km will be expanded between now and 2024 by over 600 km in Stage 2 and 250 km in Stage 3, said a statement from Egis.

The UAE network is part of the GCC rail project and will play a key role in the ongoing growth of conventional rail in the Middle East region.
 
Following its experience acquired in Stage 1, Etihad Rail aims to bolster its team with the skills of Egis, internationally renowned for its experience in project management and technical expertise in all types of railway project (passenger and freight, conventional and high speed), it added.

Under this agreement, Egis will work in close co-operation with Etihad Rail, its group joining the project ownership team to oversee and supervise the different project contributors: the engineering consultant responsible for preliminary design and construction supervision, the future design-and-build contractors, and third parties.

Egis is 75 per cent owned by the French "Caisse des Dépôts" and the rest by Partner executives (Iosis Partenaires), and employees (corporate mutual fund). Employing over 13,600 people, including 8,200 in engineering, the group had generated a turnover of €1.05 billion ($1.23 billion) last year.
 
For the UAE, delivering a project of this scale will demand extensive expertise and co-ordination. The network is a combination of freight and passenger lines which extends over 1,000 km and has nearly 40 railway facilities (logistics sites for freight, passenger stations, stabling and maintenance depots).

On completion in 2024, the network will link Saudi Arabia to the UAE and Oman. The growth and dynamics of the emirates generate major changes in infrastructure, said the company statement.

The Etihad Rail PMC contract is part of the strategy to further develop in the Middle East and more particularly in the UAE.

Egis said this is its third major guided transportation project in the Middle East region. The other two projects are the Doha metro (project management of Red Line extension) and an autonomous transportation system in Dubai (design engineering and construction of the scalable capacity autonomous shuttle system, Bluewaters Ground Rapid Transit System).-TradeArabia News Service