8.24 PM Thursday, 28 March 2024
  • City Fajr Shuruq Duhr Asr Magrib Isha
  • Dubai 04:57 06:11 12:27 15:53 18:37 19:51
28 March 2024

France’s RATP Group eyes GCC projects

Published
By Staff

The RATP Group, the fifth largest urban transport operator in the world, will take part in in the 59th conference of the International Association of Public Transport to be held in Dubai on April 10-14.

RATP will show its know-how to the key decision makers in the world of transport and to strengthen its relations with authorities in the GCC, the region where it intends its development.

The group operates the largest multimodal of network in the world, managed by one company in the Paris Region. It is used by more than 10 million passengers every day.

Capable of designing and implementing infrastructure development projects, operating and maintaining networks, whatever the transport mode is (metro, regional train, tram, bus) or developing innovative assistance services for mobility (passengers information in real time, electronic cards, price making, customer marketing), the Group RATP is present in 12 countries, and continues to export its know-how to the world, whether in engineering (via its subsidiary company Systra of which the group holds 36 per cent of the shares), or in the operation and maintenance activities, through its subsidiary company RATP Dev. In 2010, the turnover of the Group RATP reached 4.570 billion euros.

During the UITP conference, where professionals from the world of transport will mingle together, the RATP Group will have the chance to showcase its know-how in the Paris Region through a project such as the automation of line 1 (it is the first time that such a wide-gauge metro line will be automated without the interruption of the operating system). The RATP group will also highlight its international experience, operating a major network worldwide via RATP Dev, such as the tram of Florence, commissioned in 2010, or the Gautrain, regional train of which a first section was commissioned in 2010, linking up Johannesburg to Pretoria starting in the summer of 2011.

This conference will provide an opportunity for the RATP Group to discuss new practices, new services and the latest technological innovations capable of improving the daily trip of the passengers on the networks operated by the Group.

In addition, this meeting constitutes a chance for RATP Dev, the subsidiary company for operation and maintenance of the RATP, to strengthen its relations with the Gulf authorities where many transport projects will be carried out in the coming years. From Saudi Arabia to the Arab United Emirates, passing by Qatar who, in preparation for the 2022 Football World Cup, must build a complete infrastructure of transportation in a decade, important investments are expected in  projects of multimodal transport networks including regional trains, metros, trams and buses.

Already present in the Gulf region, through a strategic partnership with the company Saptco for operating and maintaining new tram and metro networks in Saudi Arabia, and also soon through the future operation services contract of the tram line Al Sufouh in Dubai, RATP Dev intends to continue its development in the region.

This international event also represents an opportunity for the RATP Group to explain how it participates in the studies concerning the future of the large European cities, into the Group of Grandes Métropoles, which includes 12 public operators of the European cities transporting daily 39 million passengers.