Etihad Rail - the master developer and operator of the UAE’s national railway network - announced today a contract award to PCM Strescon Overseas Ventures Limited (PCM Strescon) for the provision of railway sleepers.

The Indian-based company will be responsible for the design and manufacturing of railway sleepers as well as the production of the sleeper manufacturing facility for Phase One of the railway network - the 266km route linking Shah, Habshan and Ruwais in Abu Dhabi’s Western Region. The award of this contract marks a major milestone for Etihad Rail and comes ahead of the laying of the first tracks for the 1,200km network in Q4 of 2012.

PCM Strescon is a leading manufacturer of pre-stressed concrete sleepers and the company has already set up two factories in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia with the world’s highest production capacities, and have supplied more than 2.6 million sleepers to the North South Railway Project of Saudi Arabian Railways (SAR), in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. For the Etihad Rail network, PCM Strescon will oversee and manage the design, manufacturing, maintenance and storage of the railway sleepers that will support the network’s tracks that will carry the trains transporting granulated sulphur (in partnership with Abu Dhabi National Oil Company) for export at the port of Ruwais.

Commenting on the award, Etihad Rail CEO Richard Bowker, said, “We are delighted to announce that Etihad Rail will be working with PCM Strescon, a leader in the industry. This award clearly highlights that we are moving full speed ahead with the railway network - one that will transform the transport sector in the UAE. We look forward to announcing news of further important contract developments over the coming months.”

Etihad Rail’s AED40 billion railway project is forecast - over the next two decades - to grow to transport up to 50 million tonnes of freight and 16 million passengers per annum, connecting population centres and opening up channels for trade. When complete, the UAE-wide network will change the way people and goods move across the Emirates, by providing a modern, safe, efficient, and environmentally sustainable method of transport, and will form a vital part of the GCC Railway Network.