STUDY OF THE ARAB RAILWAY NETWORK
FS Engineering secured the contract to deliver the Arab Network Railway Study project, a strategic initiative funded by the Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development. The master plan encompassed the entire rail transport system across the 21 member states of the Arab League, with the objective of analysing, harmonising, and planning the infrastructure works required to establish an integrated regional rail network.
The project covered a vast geographical territory, spanning Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Yemen, Libya, Sudan, Morocco, Tunisia, Kuwait, Algeria, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Qatar, Oman, Mauritania, Somalia, Palestine, and Djibouti. In terms of geographical footprint, technical complexity, and socio-economic impact, the project represents one of the most ambitious railway master plans ever undertaken globally.
Completed in 2012, the study defined and rigorously evaluated a railway network encompassing approximately 30,000 km of existing and planned regional lines. The findings revealed that approximately 11,350 km of the network was fit for regional operations, whereas 15,600 km of alignment was completely non-existent, and a further 3,400 km required upgrading to meet the mandated technical standards.
