Among all the type of transportation, trains paved the way towards the development of transportation, both for passengers and goods. These machineries have transformed the industry, as well as human expansion and the way people move from one place to another. Today, trains are commonly used by people to move within and outside the city. In UAE, Etihad Rail has been effective in offering a cost-effective and reliable mode of transportation since its construction in 2009 (Emirates 24/7). With the more developments along the way, the railway system in UAE is sure to further improve people’s lives in terms of transportation and trade.
Trains symbolize how far man has gone in developing the things around him in order to improve life. Today, trains are commonly used by people for transportation, as well as move goods from within the city or outside the city. There are different types of trains which are being used these days, such as small city trams, subway electrical trains, distance trains which offer dining cars and sleeping quarters for long travels, freight trains, as well as the highly-developed high-speed bullet trains which could run at speeds of 300-500 km/hr. From the animal-pulled ‘wagonways’ which were first built by ancient civilizations of Egypt, Babylon, and Greece, trains in different parts of the world today provide a safer, faster, and more cost-efficient method of transportation than others which are commonly used. One of its advantages compared to traveling through cars is that there is no traffic in the railways. Similarly, more cargos can be transferred at one time than when using planes or ships. Trains are also able to reach far-flung places that don’t have access to ports or air landing areas as railways are much easier to build. Despite the numerous other benefits provided by trains, there are also several disadvantages, particularly in its effects in the environment. For one, most trains use coal or diesel for them to move, and numerous studies have already proven that these cause a lot of destruction in the earth’s environment. There is also the common problem of trains getting derailed because of some problems with the railtracks, although this is more common in outside the city travels. In addition, especially in places where there is heavy snow, avalanche has also caused damages and deaths in railway transport.
In UAE, an ambitious plan about linking six Gulf states was discussed and approved in 2013. The said project which was led by GCC rail network aimed to provide a new mode of transportation that would be a good alternative for the usual air and sea travel that both passengers and goods in the region are used to. According to the plan, the train is to go through the Gulf coast from Kuwait all the way to Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and lastly to Oman. In addition, there will also be branches that would link Bahrain and Qatar (Salama 2013), and the project is said to be completed and will start its operation in 2018. However, upon its inception, problems were perceived to come from “skills shortage and supply chain bottlenecks” (Salama 2013). Today, three years after the project started, people are in doubt if it is going to meet its projected deadline. Edward James, the director of content and analysis at Meet Projects, stated that the original goal of completing the project in 2018 appears to be impposible to meet as no announcements were made after the meeting of GCC officials took place in October of 2015 (Allen 2015). In addition, no country among the six that were supposed to be linked have built any section of the railway. Until 2009, only a small stretch of railway line connected Riyadh and the Saudi Arabia port of Dammam. People didn’t see much importance in building railways as fuel used to be cheaper during that time and roads were straight, both factors proving to be conducive for road travels. However, with the expansion of the economy was the increase in traffic congestion in the area. This made the people look again at the benefits of the railway transport in terms of economy and the environment. From then on, major rail projects were constructed all over the region which in turn inspired the excitement of the citizens over the idea of Gulf-wide rail conection. However, the apparent delay in the completion of the project in 2018, caused mainly by the difficulties of members in finding various methods of financing, proves to be one big challenge for the realization of the project.
Ambitious the GCC project may be, it is guaranteed to present numerous opportunities for all members involved to deepen economic, social, and political integration. Should this come into fruition, an extra sector will be given an opportunity to expand which in turn will open up new chances for public and private sectors. Despite the apparent delat of the completion of the said project, other major railway projects are proving to be successful in improving their railway system. In UAE, the Etihad Rail, which is the developer and operator of the country’s national rail network, is projected to complete its major project accroding to schedule in the next five years (Wam 2013). Acording to reports, the first two stages of the said project is seen to be doing extremely well and are indicating success that building the railway which would link Abu Dhabi and Dubai will be completed in 2017. The project was germinated in 2009 and recent developments show that the company will be able to connect all the networks by next year. This year, Etihad Rail signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Ceva Logistics for another project that would offer a cheaper but reliable means of transportation (Emirates 24/7). With its initial project going smoothly, the new partnership with Ceva Logistics is perceived to offer more promising projects in the future. Currently, discussions are ongoing regarding a new project that would link urban and the outlying areas, encourage trade in the process, facilitate communication through by channels, and promote economic development all over UAE (Emirates 24/7).
Already under discussion is a project which promises to “connect urban and peripheral communities, facilitate trade, open up communication channels and foster economic development across all emirates in the UAE” (Emirates 24/7). The said network is also said to undertake another future project which would connect UAE to Saudi Arabia through Ghweifat and Oman. These bright promises presented by future railway constructions are great influences which made the author choose to research and write about trains. Although other modes of transportation also continue to work on improving their transportation services and experience, a lot can be gained from improving railways as not only can they travel far and fast, they also offer travel and shipping opportunities to a larger number of people and cargo products. Also, heavy congestion in cities can also be minimized by further improvements in trains, a problem that has become serious and pressing over the years. Once all the plans about future train constructions have been completed, the author expresses personal desire to travel through train all the time if possible. Apart from cheaper fares, traveling by train has also proven to be faster and relatively safer. History shows that train has forged the way for further improvement and economy to take place the way people are seeing and experiencing it today. This only proves that along with other improvements made in other forms of transportation, more can be done in trains to offer more and better services.
Like any other type of transportation, trains have proven to be useful, cost-effective, and efficient in transporting people and goods. These are the reasons why despite the environmental hazards they cause, trains continue to be used and developed in many countries all over the world. Should all projects dealing with linking states and countries, trains will prove to be a huge game-changer in terms of economy and transport. Traffic will be reduced, trading will be faster and more efficient, and overall economy will be better. Deeper and better relationship among states and countries will also be possible, a goal which was in the core of globalization, and for these reasons alone, it can be concluded that trains are bound to change everyone else’s life for the better.
Bibliography
Allen, A. (2015). Ambitious Gulf states rail link ‘unlikely to hit 2018 deadline.’ CIPS.
Retrieved from http://www.cips.org/en-SG/Supply-
Management/News/2015/December/Ambitious-Gulf-states-rail-link-unlikely-to-hit-2018-
deadline/
Etihad 24/7 Staff (2016). Etihad Rail: Transporting cargotoday; passengers next. Emirates 24/7.
Retrieved from http://www.emirates247.com/business/etihad-rail-transporting-cargo-today-passengers-next-2016-01-06-1.616230
History of Trains. Train History. Retrieved from http://www.trainhistory.net/
Salama, S. (2013). GCC rail network to link all 6 Gulf states by 2018. Gulf News Transport.
Retrieved from http://gulfnews.com/news/uae/transport/gcc-rail-network-to-link-all-6-gulf-states-by-2018-1.1248632.
Wam (2013). 2017: Abu Dhabi to Dubai by train. Emirates 24/7. Retrieved from
http://www.emirates247.com/news/emirates/2017-abu-dhabi-to-dubai-by-train-2013-07-
03-1.512950
