The 16th edition of the Middle East Rail Exhibition and Conference opened today at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Center (ADNEC).
The conference is held under the patronage of Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs. The two-day event was inaugurated by Suhail Al Mazrouei, Minister of Energy and Infrastructure, in the presence of more than 600 dignitaries, ministers and specialists in the transport and infrastructure sector, and more than 6000 participants and more. About 200 speakers.
The conference is held in cooperation between Etihad Rail, the Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure and the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi.
The opening was attended by Dr. Nayef Falah Mubarak Al-Hajraf, Secretary-General of the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf, Engineer Kamal bin Ahmed Mohammed, Minister of Transport and Communications in Bahrain, Dr. Rumaih bin Muhammad Al-Rumaih, President of the Public Transport Authority in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and Wendy Morton, Minister of State for Transport in the United Kingdom.
The conference will host a series of events, including presentation of more than 50 hours on topics of sustainability, digital innovation and innovative transportation methods, in addition to more than 50 hours of accredited seminars and workshops on continuing professional development, which highlight the latest work challenges faced by engineers in the region during Their quest to build world-class projects.
At the beginning of his speech, Suhail Al Mazrouei said, “The United Arab Emirates has lost a great and exceptional leader who devoted his life to serving his country, his people and humanity… and a leader who was characterized by wisdom, humanity and good work. May His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan rest in peace.”
He added, “Today, as we sympathize with ourselves and the world for our great loss, the UAE continues in his path of growth and development by unanimously electing the Supreme Council of the Federation, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the State, as President of the State.
He continued, “The UAE has a transport sector, facilities and infrastructure that are among the best and most developed on the global level, and the road, metro and transportation network extends to urban areas, and is integrated to support growth in various sectors of the economy, trade and tourism, and that the transport sector in the Emirates receives the attention of the rational leadership for its role in sustainable development and its contribution to the gross domestic product and the growth of national economies due to its close connection with vital sectors on which the state depends greatly for the next fifty years.”
He explained, “The various forms of transportation in the Emirates are characterized by their high level in terms of quality and efficiency, ensuring easy and safe transportation for passengers and travelers and enhancing ease of social cohesion and trade movement. Thanks to the insightful and enlightened visions of the wise leadership, the UAE was ranked among the top 20 globally in 13 An indicator for the transport sector during the year 2021, which enhances the balance of successes achieved by the state in the sector during the past years.
He also said: “We are going through a more turbulent era in the history of transportation and mobility in the current era, and that the Corona pandemic has exacerbated many challenges, which calls for concerted efforts and formulating strategies that are in line with developments and future goals that revolve around better, faster and easier transportation options, in addition to building a sustainable transportation network. For our future generations, modern technologies and technologies will draw their features and outlines.”
The Minister of Energy and Infrastructure stressed that the way people think about transportation today is very different from what it was less than “5” years ago, and as we re-imagine the future of mobility, the main pillars of this transformation are linked, shared, independent and sustainable.
He explained that the UAE has implemented major projects that serve the transport sector during the past years, which had a great impact on the country’s obtaining global advanced positions in various indicators of global competitiveness. The state is not mutually exclusive, but also the state of the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf to form an essential part of the global supply network.
He said that the Etihad Rail will contribute to changing the way passengers travel, not only within the Emirates, but across the region in the coming years, which leads to the creation of new economic opportunities and the development and integration of new communities around the railways and the network, which will also form the basis for trade, services, regions and economic cities in the future.
He pointed out that the Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure was keen to develop and improve the road network by increasing the lengths of the federal roads in the Emirates; The lengths of the traffic lanes of the federal roads reached 4,300 km during the past 20 years, linking the country’s regions and cities in a smooth and flexible manner, which reflects the Ministry’s keenness to develop and improve the road network with high quality, which contributed to meeting the needs of population and urban expansion and expansion, and to accommodate the growing increase in Traffic, as well as improving transportation and traffic, while working on the construction of federal road networks supported by smart, sustainable and energy-saving lighting solutions, with the aim of reducing the carbon footprint, preserving the environment and confronting the phenomenon of climate change.
He revealed that the ministry has recently worked on developing the national strategy for smart mobility to become more comprehensive and forward-looking and support the UAE’s orientation for the next fifty years, which in turn will help support distinguished transport projects and reshape the way people think about transport in the UAE.
It will also contribute to enabling transport networks and improving the connection of Etihad Rail with wider communities as well as its network in all emirates of the country to provide seamless and multimodal integration as well as push forward shared mobility through pioneering initiatives.
For his part, Shadi Malak, CEO of Etihad Rail, said: “Etihad Rail is driven by the vision and support of the wise leadership and the directives of Sheikh Theyab bin Mohamed bin Zayed, Chairman of the Board of Directors, with the aim of shaping the future of the transport and logistics sectors in the country, as well as strengthening the linkage of industrial sectors. And consolidating the railway sector’s position within the comprehensive government initiatives at the level of the UAE.”
He added: “This exhibition highlights our efforts to focus on all potential users of the UAE National Railways network and to change the general perception of passenger and freight transportation solutions by providing faster, less expensive, more reliable and sustainable services. This approach provides a platform that enhances the company’s leadership position among these solutions providers.” in the Emirates.
Etihad Rail is also working to enable companies to grow and prosper and help them make various logistical decisions that contribute to raising the level of efficiency and providing lower cost alternatives to their business models.”
He continued, “After 28 months from the start of construction operations, we succeeded in completing 75% of the second phase of the UAE’s national railway network, thanks to government support that allowed us to continue working despite the challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic.”
Subsequently, Suhail bin Muhammad Faraj Faris Al Mazrouei, Minister of Energy and Infrastructure, accompanied by Eng. Shadi Malak, CEO of Etihad Rail, inaugurated the exhibition accompanying the conference, in which 250 exhibitors participated, in which the latest developments in the transport sector and related infrastructure were presented. At a number of the pavilions of the participating parties in the exhibition, he was briefed on the ideas and solutions contained in the exhibition that contribute to the development of the mobility sector.
It is worth noting that the conference is of great importance to the UAE, as it comes in the wake of the UAE’s announcement of the launch of the National Railways Program last December, the largest system of its kind for road transport in all the emirates of the country. Railways, infrastructure, freight transport and logistics.