Huawei has announced its collaboration with SELEX Elsag, a company within the Finmeccanica group, for the construction of the first railway line in the United Arab Emirates, that will be completed by the end of 2014. Huawei, a leading global information and communication technology (ICT) solutions provider, has been selected by SELEX Elsag as the mobile networks (GSM-R), optical and IP supplier. This first section will be an essential part of the new UAE railway network that will be 1,200 km long by the end of 2017. It will connect urban and industrial areas of the United Arab Emirates and open new links with Saudi Arabia and Oman.
Huawei Enterprise’s wireless network will guarantee highly sophisticated mobile communications along a 266 km portion of the railway line. The new railway line will connect the entire oil-bearing area of Shah and will be the main means for transporting more than 7 million tons per year of granulated sulphur from Habshan to the port of Ruwais for export.
Etihad Rail Company, the master developer and operator of the UAE’s national railway network, after a tender with the participation of more than twenty groups, recently awarded the project for the construction of the first railway line in the UAE to the Joint Venture composed of the Italian Saipem (part of the ENI group) and Maire Tecnimont, together with the Indian company Dodsal Engineering & Construction PTE Limited. Afterwards the Joint Venture selected Ansaldo STS (Finmeccanica Group) for the implementation of the whole technological component of the new line, both for the part that ensures the safety of railway traffic and for the portion concerning information provision to the public.
Huawei Enterprise’s GSM-R technology is vital for improving rail network safety, offering critical communication functions so that train drivers, controllers, civil engineers and crew members that work along the railway line can communicate with each other, and ultimately provides passengers with an enhanced commuting experience that is secure and reliable. Offering standardized railway solutions, Huawei’s GSM-R portfolio allows railway communications to be interoperable between various railway companies and ensures the highest level of service quality at all times – even at the fastest train speeds.
“The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region is currently the world’s fastest growing markets for rail projects. With an rise in demand for efficient and effective means of transport, the increase in metro, tram and monorail projects will lead to the rail market almost doubling in size over the next decade. According to the MEED Railway Report in 2011, the region is undergoing more than USD250 billion worth of planned investment in the railways sector”. commented Dong Wu, Vice President at Huawei Enterprise Middle East.
