DOHA: South Korea is keen to actively participate in the many projects in the pipeline aimed at developing Qatar's railway industry.
"Both South Korea and Qatar have made great efforts on the important issue of transportation. Korea has implemented policies in building transport facilities in cities to meet transport demands. I hope Korea and Qatar will have cooperation in the transport sector," said Kim Seon-Tae, Director for Railways Policy of Korea's Ministry of Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs (MLTM).
Seon-Tae was speaking at the opening of the Qatar-Korea Joint Seminar on Urban Transport yesterday at the Doha Exhibition Centre attended by a big delegation from Korea and some officials of Qatar Railways Company (QRC).
He said with Qatar's hosting of the World Cup 2022, many upcoming infrastructure projects are lined up which could bring opportunities for both countries.
Qatar's much-anticipated state-of-the-art integrated railway network will include West Bay People Mover, Lusail City's Light-Rail Transit system, and the integrated Qatar Railways Project, which will incorporate a metro system, long-distance passenger travel, and freight transport.
With Korea's extensive experience in high-speed railway transport system, it has a lot to offer to Qatar's upcoming projects especially the long distance passenger travel and freight transport.
"High-speed rail is something that Korea has a lot of experience with and we wish to exploit that high-speed technology to get people between New Doha International Airport and Bahrain in an hour's travel at a speed of 350kph," said Goeff Mee, Deputy CEO of QRC, as he gave an overview of Qatar's integrated railway network project.
The QR130bn integrated national railway network will unify all planned railways in Qatar, including the Doha metro, Lusail and Education City light rail transit systems, and West Bay people movers, and will stretch from the Doha International Airport to Ras Laffan.
It will also connect Qatar's network to neighboring countries, including the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and the Bahrain-Qatar causeway, to create the region's first fully integrated railway system. By combining traditional elements with state-of-the art modern features, the Qatar Integrated Railway Project will create the region's most comfortable, reliable, and safe railway system.
Korean Ambassador Chang See-jeong expressed optimism on possible cooperation between the two countries in the transport sector. He lauded Qatar's robust economy and its meteoric progress having ranked 8th among 59 countries in the recently released International Institute for Management Development (IMD) Competitiveness Report for 2011 compared to the 15th position in 2010.
The Ambassador cited Korea as one of the leading countries in railway construction and operation such as high speed railway and metro, having at total of nine metro lines covering 317km have been built in Seoul alone.
Responding to a question on sustainability issues, Mee said, "All contracts will have sustainable clauses in them to make sure it will be sustainable from construction to delivery of railway project."
Mee said procurement will start next month and construction of railways required for the upcoming World Cup 2022 will take eight years from June 2012 to June 2020 in time for testing and commissioning. The entire railway network project is set to be completed by 2026.
Hosted by Korea's MLTM and Korean Embassy and Qatar Railways Company (QRC), the seminar was co-sponsored by the Korea Transport Research Institute and International Contractors Association of Korea.
Nazih Haddad, Chief of Programme officer of QRC, and transport experts from both countries also delivered presentations at the seminar.
© The Peninsula 2011
