Alstom, Hyundai land big Baghdad metro project


A consortium led by Alstom, a global leader in rail transport and sustainable mobility, and Hyundai Engineering & Construction have signed a memorandum of intent with Iraq's government for the implementation of the Baghdad Elevated Train (BET) project.

Alstom, a global leader in rail transport and sustainable mobility, said a consortium led by the company, together with partner Hyundai Engineering & Construction, has signed a memorandum of intent with the Iraqi Ministry of Transport to define a framework to accelerate the implementation of the Baghdad Elevated Train (BET) project.
 
The BET project is a 20-km-long elevated metro network in Baghdad with 14 stations, and includes the supply of rolling stock, electromechanical systems, tracks, as well as associated civil works. 
 
The light rail system would link Al-Khadumia, AlEtafia, Alsarafia bridge Al-Mustansirya, Wazyria and AlShab over 16 km, and AlEtafia AlMuthana airport to Al-Alawi over 4km, said the statement from Alstom.
 
The memorandum was signed during the Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al Kadhimi’s official visit to Paris at Matignon in the office of the French Prime Minister Jean Castex.
 
On the key project, Alstom's Senior VP (MEA and Central Asia) Müslüm Yakisan said: "We believe that with this important project together with the Iraqi government, we will implement our latest innovative technologies to improve the mobility environment in Baghdad and reduce the current traffic congestion."
 
Alstom has more than 65 years’ experience in the production of metros, having sold over 17,000 metro cars that operate in 55 cities around the world and carry 30 million passengers every day, he stated.
 
Alstom is already well established in the Africa, Middle East & Central Asia region with nearly 5,000 employees, 2,240 suppliers and present in more than 15 countries in the region with offices and manufacturing plants in Algeria, Morocco, South Africa and Kazakhstan. 
 
As well as delivering the Dubai tramway, the first fully integrated tramway system in the Middle East and the world’s first 100% catenary-free line, which was opened in November 2014, the company has been tasked with the maintenance of Dubai Tram for a period of 13 years, stated Yasikan. 
 
The Alstom-led Consortium, ExpoLink, is also responsible for delivering the world’s fastest-built turnkey driverless metro project, Dubai Route 2020 Metro, which was inaugurated in June. 
 
In Saudi Arabia, Alstom, as part of FAST consortium, is supplying a fully integrated metro system for lines 4, 5 and 6, which includes 69 Metropolis-based Riyadh Metro trains, Urbalis signalling system, Hesop energy recovery station and tracks.
 
Alstom’s metros are world-leading, proven, safe and reliable trains that serve many of the world’s great cities, including Amsterdam, Barcelona, London, Paris and Singapore.-TradeArabia News Service