DUBAI // Passengers using a pan-GCC railway due for completion in 2017 could be whisked along at 350kph under a proposal for a super-high-speed network stretching from Kuwait through the UAE and on to Oman. A speed of 350kph is nearly 40 per cent of the cruising speed of an Airbus A380 jetliner. Rail authorities from member states of the GCC are to decide this year whether to build tracks for the fast passenger trains, said Ramiz al Assar, a senior transport specialist with the World Bank Group, which is the adviser to the project.
The speed jump from the planned 200kph to a potential 350kph would come at a steep price: the project cost would rise from US$15 billion (Dh55bn) to an estimated $25bn, Mr al Assar said. A detailed engineering design, expected to be completed in March, will look at the requirement for faster trains and will be presented to GCC member states the UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and Saudi Arabia. Should the decision be taken to run the high-speed trains along the 2,200km line, it would open up the possibility of travelling from Kuwait to Oman in a little more than six hours in one of the fastest trains in the world.
However, Mr al Assar, speaking on the sidelines of the Rail Infrastructure Middle East 2010 conference in Dubai, said the super-fast trains could not become a reality until "traffic studies indicate there is a viability of moving to that speed". A decision has already been taken to operate both freight and passenger services using 200kph diesel trains, he said, adding that the decision to go to 200kph "is an educated decision based on a thorough feasibility study".
"The 350kph is only to do with the passenger traffic and can only be implemented when the heads of the member states see there is some potential or benefits." He said the planned railway would be built to handle greater speeds, making it possible to upgrade to a 350kph train. The member states endorsed the construction of the railway at the annual GCC summit last month. Under a tentative schedule, consortiums bidding to design the rail network will be screened in May and contracts awarded by early next year, Mr al Assar said.
Because of the high initial cost of the rail, governments will be required to finance a portion of the construction and look for private sector investment. While such a big transport project would surely be a money-loser for the governments, Ebrahim al Sabti, the GCC secretary general, said it is "economically feasible". "It is going to reduce pollution, it is going to reduce road accidents, it is going to reduce road maintenance," he said.
Feasibility studies are also looking at the possibility of a spur line from Muscat to Yemen. Meanwhile, Yemen is set to launch in July a 2,000km rail project worth $3.5bn as part of plans to upgrade its infrastructure, Reuters reported yesterday. Last month, the world's fastest long-range train was launched in China, linking the southern China city of Guangzhou to the central city of Wuhan in a three-hour trip. The train had a top speed of 390kph during testing, with an average speed of 350kh.
mchung@thenational.ae
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The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
Read more about the coronavirus
It's up to you to go green
Nils El Accad, chief executive and owner of Organic Foods and Café, says going green is about “lifestyle and attitude” rather than a “money change”; people need to plan ahead to fill water bottles in advance and take their own bags to the supermarket, he says.
“People always want someone else to do the work; it doesn’t work like that,” he adds. “The first step: you have to consciously make that decision and change.”
When he gets a takeaway, says Mr El Accad, he takes his own glass jars instead of accepting disposable aluminium containers, paper napkins and plastic tubs, cutlery and bags from restaurants.
He also plants his own crops and herbs at home and at the Sheikh Zayed store, from basil and rosemary to beans, squashes and papayas. “If you’re going to water anything, better it be tomatoes and cucumbers, something edible, than grass,” he says.
“All this throwaway plastic - cups, bottles, forks - has to go first,” says Mr El Accad, who has banned all disposable straws, whether plastic or even paper, from the café chain.
One of the latest changes he has implemented at his stores is to offer refills of liquid laundry detergent, to save plastic. The two brands Organic Foods stocks, Organic Larder and Sonnett, are both “triple-certified - you could eat the product”.
The Organic Larder detergent will soon be delivered in 200-litre metal oil drums before being decanted into 20-litre containers in-store.
Customers can refill their bottles at least 30 times before they start to degrade, he says. Organic Larder costs Dh35.75 for one litre and Dh62 for 2.75 litres and refills will cost 15 to 20 per cent less, Mr El Accad says.
But while there are savings to be had, going green tends to come with upfront costs and extra work and planning. Are we ready to refill bottles rather than throw them away? “You have to change,” says Mr El Accad. “I can only make it available.”
Honeymoonish
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The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
ICC Awards for 2021
MEN
Cricketer of the Year – Shaheen Afridi (Pakistan)
T20 Cricketer of the Year – Mohammad Rizwan (Pakistan)
ODI Cricketer of the Year – Babar Azam (Pakistan)
Test Cricketer of the Year – Joe Root (England)
WOMEN
Cricketer of the Year – Smriti Mandhana (India)
ODI Cricketer of the Year – Lizelle Lee (South Africa)
T20 Cricketer of the Year – Tammy Beaumont (England)
Tips to keep your car cool
- Place a sun reflector in your windshield when not driving
- Park in shaded or covered areas
- Add tint to windows
- Wrap your car to change the exterior colour
- Pick light interiors - choose colours such as beige and cream for seats and dashboard furniture
- Avoid leather interiors as these absorb more heat
Profile of MoneyFellows
Founder: Ahmed Wadi
Launched: 2016
Employees: 76
Financing stage: Series A ($4 million)
Investors: Partech, Sawari Ventures, 500 Startups, Dubai Angel Investors, Phoenician Fund
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
List of alleged parties
May 12, 2020: PM and his wife Carrie attend 'work meeting' with at least 17 staff
May 20, 2020: They attend 'bring your own booze party'
Nov 27, 2020: PM gives speech at leaving party for his staff
Dec 10, 2020: Staff party held by then-education secretary Gavin Williamson
Dec 13, 2020: PM and his wife throw a party
Dec 14, 2020: London mayoral candidate Shaun Bailey holds staff event at Conservative Party headquarters
Dec 15, 2020: PM takes part in a staff quiz
Dec 18, 2020: Downing Street Christmas party
MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
WOMAN AND CHILD
Director: Saeed Roustaee
Starring: Parinaz Izadyar, Payman Maadi
Rating: 4/5
Dubai Women's Tour teams
Agolico BMC
Andy Schleck Cycles-Immo Losch
Aromitalia Basso Bikes Vaiano
Cogeas Mettler Look
Doltcini-Van Eyck Sport
Hitec Products – Birk Sport
Kazakhstan National Team
Kuwait Cycling Team
Macogep Tornatech Girondins de Bordeaux
Minsk Cycling Club
Pannonia Regional Team (Fehérvár)
Team Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
Team Ciclotel
UAE Women’s Team
Under 23 Kazakhstan Team
Wheel Divas Cycling Team
RESULT
West Brom 2 Liverpool 2
West Brom: Livermore (79'), Rondón (88' )
Liverpool: Ings (4'), Salah (72')
