Reuters reported that French engineering firm Alstom is in talks for a 5 year contract to maintain USD 809 million tram system in Dubai and is close to signing high speed rail project deal in Morocco.
Mr Marc Chagnas VP of business development for transport in south Europe said that Alstom was also focusing on winning a tender for a multi billion dollar high speed rail linking Jeddah with Makkah and Madina in Saudi Arabia. The group is looking to boost its business in the world’s largest oil exporting region where governments are pouring billions of dollars into developing infrastructure as they diversify their economies. He said that “We see in the Middle East real projects with advanced financing schemes, engineering and that’s not forgetting urban transport projects.”
Mr Chagnas said that we are in the process of putting into form the maintenance contract. He was hoping to sign the deal with Dubai’s Road and Transport Authority by the end of 2009.
He said that Alstom was also focusing on a technical bid for the Haramain project in Saudi Arabia to be submitted by January 31. Its consortium includes SNCF, Thales and Al Rajhi. The group was also interested in the Saudi land bridge project crossing the kingdom, although the scheme had been suspended for the foreseeable future. In Morocco, Alstom is looking to seal a deal to supply rolling stock for the Phase I of a TGV like rail that will eventually link the cities of Tangier and Casablanca.
Mr Chagnas said that Alstom was finalizing specifications on the 200km Tangier Kenitra section the first stage of the network to assess the cost of the project, scheduled to be completed by 2014.
France and Morocco signed a strategic partnership agreement in 2007 to adapt the French TGV system in Morocco. Alstom was nominated to supply rolling stocks and waiting on details to design, operate and maintain the Tangier Casablanca link.
Morocco’s railway master plan which faces a 10% to 15% rise in passenger traffic a year provides for the construction of 1,500 kilometers of high speed rail lines by 2035 which will be capable of carrying 120 million travelers on 2 main routes. The Atlantic link will run Tangiers Marrakech Agadir while the Maghreb link will operate Rabat Fez Oujda.
