Bombardier in the GCC Region
The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries understand how public transportation addresses many of the pressing issues faced by society today: Climate change, urbanisation and population growth as well as congestion and pollution all pose serious challenges to the growth of industrialised and developing nations. Today, the GCC countries are implementing rail solutions - the low carbon alternative to air and road transport - as the new backbone of their national transportation infrastructure. Bombardier is committed to bringing its latest technologies and solutions to support the development of rail transportation across this important region.
Mohammed Sarfraaz Ali, Bombardier Transportation’s Chief Country Representative for the GCC countries, explains: “The Gulf region represents an exciting market for Bombardier Transportation. The GCC countries are developing and implementing many prestigious transportation projects; from automated people mover links at airports to the large-scale urban mass transit systems in Doha, Riyadh, Abu Dhabi and Dubai, as well as the prestigious Haramain High Speed line linking the cities of Mecca and Medina; and, last but not least, the ambitious project to construct an approximately 1,200 mile rail route extending from Kuwait to Oman and linking all GCC countries. I believe that this is a very smart approach to the sustainable development of the countries and their economic growth, and I am very proud that Bombardier is able to contribute towards the realization of the region’s impressive transportation ambitions. We are already working on several impressive projects in the region and we are embracing the opportunity of becoming a strategic partner to the local transport authorities.”
In 2010, Bombardier was awarded the contract to supply, install, operate and maintain a 3.6-km BOMBARDIER INNOVIA Monorail 300 system for the prestigious King Abdullah Financial District in Riyadh. The next generation INNOVIA Monorail 300 system combines service-proven driverless technology with the latest in wide-bodied, lightweight, aerodynamically styled monorail trains. They provide superior value and performance for demanding and sophisticated users.
Last September, Bombardier signed contracts with Talgo SA to develop and supply components for 36 very high speed trains for Saudi Arabia. Talgo, a member of the Al Shoula consortium, which is led by the Spanish railway operator RENFE, was recently contracted by the Saudi Railways Organization to build and operate a 450 km high-speed rail line connecting the cities of Mecca and Medina.
In line with its commitment to the Gulf region, Bombardier Transportation has established a local presence with a wholly-owned subsidiary in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and it is also growing its team in the United Arab Emirates. Bombardier is fully committed to building a strong presence in the region and to building a strong local skills base. As the railway industry is still relatively new in the Middle East, hiring people with the right experience to deliver rail projects is not easy. One of the ways that Bombardier is addressing this issue is with the launch of the Bombardier Transportation Project Management Academy. Ali describes: “The Project Management Academy is for young Saudi National engineering or business professionals and recent graduates. The successful candidates will benefit from on-the-job training and international assignments at Bombardier sites as well as classroom-based and online tuition. The first Academy opened on September 8th, 2012 and has 11 trainees. Over the coming years, we are looking to integrate more enthusiastic young professionals into our training academy.”
For the latest information about Bombardier’s activities in the region, join the LinkedIn group “Bombardier Transportation – The Gulf Network”.
