The 13th annual Middle East Rail is the largest and most established event of its kind across the Middle East, North Africa, Central and South Asia. Partnered with the UAE Ministry of Infrastructure Development as well as the Federal Transport Authority, the event is set to take place from the 26th to the 27th of February and expects to see over 5,500 visitors of movers and shakers in the industry.
Attendees of the event can expect to catch one of over 60 live demonstrations, 250 exhibitor stands, as well as keynote speakers and panel discussions from industry leaders from across the world. Topics of discussion range from practical issues being faced by the industry currently to speculative and innovative discussions of what the future of rail may look like.
Speakers come from all over the world and share a passion for conversation about the constantly evolving nature of transport in the Middle East. The show aims to cover every aspect of working in the industry, from every perspective: attendees passionate about technology, for instance, will get the chance to hear about the digital transformation of rail from such speakers as wide ranging as the Chairman of Technology Mission at Indian Railways to the Director General of UNIFE in Belgium, proving to have a truly global scope.
Dedicated tracks ensure attendees get to attend talks tailored to their interests: these include Interoperability, Strategic Planning, Autonomous Travel, Urban Planning, and Funding & Finance, to name a few. For those attendees looking to get in on the conversation for more than just a Q & A session, there are roundtables, designed to provide an inside look at the opportunities, tenders, techniques, and technologies being implemented to build the transport networks of tomorrow. These sessions will be led by leads in key government departments, railway operators, and solution providers, ensuring attendees are let in on topical and dynamic discussion.
In 2019, Middle East Rail co-locates with Middle East Smart Mobility, and Middle East Transport Infrastructure. This expansion facilitates the inclusion of the entire transport ecosystem from transport operators, industry disruptors, government entities, urban planners, municipalities, property developers, ports, depots and much more.
Middle East Smart Mobility focuses on the entire mobility ecosystem, addressing the challenges in reaching smart urbanisation and helping to move countries towards smart city development and improving city livability and urban mobility. Middle East Transport Infrastructure, on the other hand, will address the developing future of transport infrastructure in line with increasing population and acceleration of economic growth across MENA.
A spokesman for the Federal Transport Authority described last year’s show as ‘the perfect platform to explore new technologies, strategise with the industry’s leading figures and connect with the disruptors shaping the future of transport’. Set to be larger in both size and scope than ever before, Middle East Rail 2019 is poised to be the industry event of the year.