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TRANSPORT
Bridging the divide
Despite all the money spent by
regional governments on building
air and sea ports in recent years,
many of the major transport arteries of the
Middle East remain narrow, congested and
run down. While international sea and air
links are generally strong, overland transport
users have few options beyond often
overcrowded or inadequate roads.
Among the major international links,
the Suez Canal is in healthy shape. In
September 2009, 1,454 vessels passed
through the canal. That was a significant
rebound from the 1,272 vessels that
used the route in February, the quietest
month of this year for the canal, when the
impact of the global economic downturn
was at its worst.
Some other transport links, however,
have fallen into disrepair or vanished
completely. The Hejaz Railway, which once
connected Damascus to Medina, is largely
Transport 2010:
Middle East’s
Railway revival
Countries across the region are upgrading their rail
transport systems but investment in roads is lacking
broken, although Jordan now has
ambitious plans to reopen its section as
part of a JD3.2bn ($4.5bn) nationwide railbuilding
programme.
Across the region, from Iran to Algeria,
there is a revival in railway building
programmes as governments seek to
improve their domestic and international
transport networks.
In the Gulf there are plans for the GCC
Railway, which will link its six member states,
and rail lines in Saudi Arabia: the North-
South, Mecca-Medina. Given the downturn
in inter-national financial markets over the
past year and a half, paying for all these
schemes has not been easy.
Hejaz railway, Syria post 1918
22 Link May 2010