$ 3.5 BLN TO SETTING UP RAILWAY IN YEMEN, SAYS ESCWA STUDY

SANA'A, Jan. 06 (Saba)-The cost of three-phase railway project in
Yemen is $ 3.5 billion, UN Economic and Social Commission for
Western Asia (ESCWA) study said.

Director of Economic Development Department and Globalization at
ESCWA Nabil Safot said that the study of setting up railway in Yemen
comes within concern of the member countries with importance of
linking Arab countries with railroad.

The Minister of Transport Khaled al-Wazir in a workshop - organized
in Sana'a to discuss the study, highlighted efforts exerted by the
ESCWA in preparing the study, saying that such project would be
turning point in the development process in the country.

The minister said that the project would help establish investment
projects along the track lines, in addition to connecting the
resource with the international routes.

It will connect the ports with the densely populated areas and the
agricultural and fishery production areas with the exporting ports
and consumption markets, he added.

Al-Wazir pointed out that the line would provide important economic
gains to Yemen, and will have its positive impacts on economic
activities, such as the mining, fishery, agriculture, passengers and
goods transportation and others, It also provides local employment
opportunities, the minister ensured.

Last December, the ministry of Transport announced that it had
received offers from 36 world consultative firms competing for
preparing tenders and contracts for the project that will link
Yemen's 22 provinces and Yemen with the Arabian Gulf.

The railroads will operate with the BOT system and an international
tender for it would be made public for international private
companies in the second half of 2010.

AH