New dawn in the age of the train

The Middle East and Maghreb regions are seeing a huge surge in rail network planning and building despite what, in some cases, are particularly tricky situations.

Iran 

International sanctions have had a major effect on the Tehran metro project. But, as necessity is the mother of invention, planners have found ways to sidestep procurement obstacles and project finance problems. Sanctions have made it difficult to acquire certain equipment for the metro project, making the overall development more expensive. The latest estimates put the cost for 12 metro lines spanning 430km, plus 60km of trams, at about US$18.5 billion (Dh67.95bn).

Although there has been a rail service in Tehran since 1888, work on the city's modern metro system began in 1986 on the first three lines. Between then and 2005, about 50 per cent of the project finance came from international loans. Since then, sanctions have forced the project leaders to source most of the equipment locally. Today, 75 per cent of the metro building equipment required is being made in Iran, as well as 40 per cent of the trains. In addition, international finance as a percentage of overall funding has dropped to zero.

"We've had no foreign funding due to the international situation, so the process is slow," says Dr Mohammed Montazeri, the deputy managing director of the Tehran Urban and Suburban Railway. "We are forced to help ourselves." To date, only seven lines have been approved, primarily due to the credit crunch and differences between the federal government and Tehran's rail company regarding the scope of the project: the government prefers several monorail lines, something the rail firm believes is not viable.

While some of the tunnel-boring machines have been assembled locally, the project is due to receive one machine from Germany this year. To woo financing from the private sector, the Tehran railway firm is selling the land on which the stations will be built and allowing the developers to build shopping malls and other multi-storey buildings there. Rail passenger numbers have grown exponentially on Tehran's existing lines. In 1999 there were 3 million annual tripsbut by last year that figure had grown to 459 million.

Nine cities in Iran, including Shiraz and Esfahan, currently operate rail services across 990km of track.

Jordan 

Jordan is well advanced with plans to build a freight network that will connect its major cities, ports, key border crossings and some of its most strategic mines. But financing remains a challenge. The country's largest infrastructure project is a 942km light and heavy rail scheme. One of the biggest drivers is Jordan's growing role as a cargo entry point into Iraq: an estimated 500 to 600 lorries transport goods into the war-torn nation every day. Much of the goods originate at Jordan's port in Aqaba - a preferred route for shippers compared with ports in Syria or Iraq itself, according to consultants on the rail project.

These lorries are due to be replaced with trains of between 1.5km and 3km long, handling imports into Iraq such as sulphur, grain, vehicles and oil products, as well as exports such as phosphates. Preliminary design work began in December 2008 and work is slated to begin next year after a tendering period. The first lines should open by 2014. However, financing has not been arranged yet. New legislation expected this month that govern the railway sector should bring comfort to potential investors about the rule of law, says Mohannad Qudah, the secretary general of the transport ministry in Jordan. "We hope the new laws will encourage investors and operators to come and participate in this very important project."

Saudi Arabia 

The kingdom has a mixture of light, medium and heavy rail projects on its books making it one of the biggest rail markets in the world. It is investing heavily in rail for two main reasons: its growing industrial focus and its huge annual influx of religious pilgrims. Its 1,486km railway running north to south is considered the largest such project in the world at the moment and should open next year. The system will carry 15,000 tonnes of cargo on each train, equivalent to the haulage capacity of 600 lorries.

Each train will consist of as many as 100 wagons transporting phosphate and bauxite from the mines in Jelamaid, in the north-west of the country, to the Ras al Zour industrial complex on the Gulf. This year, more than two dozen US-built locomotives will arrive, the business magazine MEED has reported. In addition, a number of projects are being built in and around the holy cities. The $7bn Haramain high-speed line will link Mecca and Medina, as well as passing through the coastal cities of Jeddah and Rabigh. The 444km line should be complete in 2013 and cater to 10 million religious visitors per season.

In addition, a $1.8bn high-capacity passenger service for Mecca and three surrounding holy sites is slated to open as early as this year. During the Haj religious pilgrimage, the line should help take about 53,000 buses and vehicles that usually transport pilgrims off the roads. Its capacity of 75,000 people per hour is three times that of the Dubai Metro, project planners say. China Railway Company began work on the high-capacity line in February last year.

North Africa 

Due to the influence of colonial powers in the Maghreb such as Britain, France, Spain and Italy, states in North Africa have in-depth rail experience. Many are busy upgrading their ageing lines but many greenfield projects are also in the planning. In Morocco, urban planners are working to connect Rabat and Sale with a 31-station tram network that should open by the end of this year. The system will have a carrying capacity of 180,000 people per day and is estimated to cost $460 million.

In addition, there are high-speed routes under development linking Tangier and Casablanca, with plans to extend the line to Marrakech. In Algeria, a metro is scheduled to open in 2012, put back from earlier forecasts of this year. The Libyan capital of Tripoli is also expected to issue a development contract for a metro service with 104km of track and 41 stations. The country is also planning a long-distance railway of more than 3,000km spanning the two borders with Egypt and Tunisia.

A Hungarian firm was among the project consultants while Russian Railways will build one of the first sections. Not to be outdone, Tunisia is also planning 780km of high-speed rail.