22/10/2014 07:02 AST
TE, a leading global provider of telecommunications equipment and network solutions particularly in the rail transport industry, expressed optimism on the GCC rail network project that is under way, saying that it is moving in the right direction.
A feasibility study into the Gulf Cooperation Council’s (GCC) Gulf Railway project was concluded in 2009 and the scheme is expected to involve the construction of 2,177 kilometers of track and cost up to $20 billion. If all of the metropolitan rail schemes currently planned go ahead, then by 2030, almost every major city in the GCC will have some form of metro or light-rail network.
In an interview on the sidelines of the annual MEED MENA Rail & Metro Summit on Tuesday in Dubai, Yang Jun, Vice President, ZTE Corporation, said “GCC rail network is a great idea to improve the unifying and diversifying GCC economy. So far, UAE has build up the phase I of its national rail network, which is also a part of GCC rail network. Oman and Qatar have finished feasibility study and ready for tender. We believe that GCC nations can realize their target.”
He said that in order “to ensure the predefined timeframe, we suggest GCC countries should consider Chinese companies which want to dedicate their experience from China to GCC.”
He added that ZTE, from China to global market experiences supplying rail solutions, has and is playing a pivotal role in railway development as prime manufacturer of communication and IT equipment and integrated ICT solution provider.
“With 16 years of rail supply market experience, ZTE had faced different kinds of challenges and developed innovative technology to overcome them, such as, when the train runs faster and faster, a series solution has been developed to improved high-speed mobile performance and communication signal coverage to ensure reliable real-time train-ground communication when the speed of train is up to 300 mph.” He further said that high-speed rail in China is running at the speed of up to 210 mph, and the “CHR (China high-speed rail) network had been extended to more than 10,000 kilometers connecting most of the main cities in China. It greatly changed the people’s life and Chinese economy.”
High-speed rail (HSR) in China has an average speed of 200 km/h (124 mph) or higher. By that measure, China has the world’s longest HSR network with over 11,028 km (6,852 mi) of track in service as of December 2013, including the world’s longest line, the 2,298 km (1,428 mi) Beijing–Guangzhou High-Speed Railway.
ZTE iRail solution – a full range of railway management solutions for both metro and national railways – has been deployed in more than 10 HSR lines in China. Usually the ICT part takes only about one percent of the total cost of HSR project, he added.
On the issue of geographical terrain and harsh climate in the Gulf and the primary drawbacks in implementing high-speed railway in the region, the ZTE vice president said ZTE has proactively explored overseas railway markets, and has provided information and communications systems for the rail transport projects in many countries.
Even in the global market, ZTE becomes the successful bidder in a number of railway projects not just in China, but in Vietnam, Uzbekistan, Russia and Nigeria as well. In the MENA region, especially in the GCC, ZTE is willing to cooperate with signaling provider or integrator by providing the advanced and comprehensive communication solutions.
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