In conversation with Adrian Lindon, Vice President – Rail AECOM Middle East – Buildings and Places

How is high-speed rail (HSR) different from conventional rail and what benefits does it offer that conventional rail does not?

When we look at the speeds offered by various types of rail transportation system, the benefits of HSR in terms of time are clearly illustrated. A metro system, for example, travels at around 100 kilometres an hour (km/h); regional rail may be up to 200km/h.

The proposed HSR system in the UAE is targeting a speed of 350km/h, giving a potential travel time between Dubai and Abu Dhabi of 30 minutes. 

HSR travels at speeds that make it a viable alternative to air travel; this further improves its sustainability benefits. When comparing high-speed to conventional rail, the infrastructure is more specialised with dedicated tracks, advanced signalling systems and grade-separated crossings to maintain high speeds and safety. As such, HSR systems tend to be a more comfortable journey for the passenger than more conventional systems. 

What are some of the key engineering challenges of Etihad Rail’s UAE high-speed rail project and how is AECOM positioned to address them?

Ensuring the track alignment is designed to address the varying topography along the line, the high speeds of the system, and to ultimately provide a smooth passenger experience, is critical to the success of any HSR project. 

AECOM has a dedicated alignment team with HSR experience from both the Middle East and global projects. 

Designing the infrastructure, such as bridges, cuttings, viaducts and tunnels, to serve an HSR system is more complex than conventional rail. 

AECOM has geotechnical and structural expertise in the UAE and globally, with extensive experience in delivering highly complex transportation projects, including HSR. 

The sheer scale of the stations, with platforms up to 400 metres long, makes them more complex to design than a conventional system. When these are then underground, they become even more complex. 

Dealing with the design and coordination of mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems, rail systems, operations, vertical transportation and passenger touch points is a complex undertaking. AECOM has a full, multidisciplinary team in the UAE, including project and design managers who have delivered projects of a similar scale

and complexity. 

Minimising the environmental impact – both in terms of minimising the impact on the ecosystem along the proposed line and the carbon impact of a project of this scale – is a key area of focus. 

AECOM sits at the forefront of environmental, social and governance (ESG) and our UAE team is led by Farah Naz, who is an award-winning climate-change strategist.

The proposed HSR system in the UAE is targeting a speed of 350km/h, giving a potential travel time between Dubai and Abu Dhabi of 30 minutes 

What expertise can the UAE team lean on from around the world to ensure the project is delivered to the highest standards?

AECOM’s team in the Middle East now sits at almost 4,000 people. As such, we can offer the vast majority of our design services locally within the region. 

Where we currently reach out to our global teams to provide support is in tunnelling, facade engineering, human factors, iconic steel structures, systems engineering and systems assurance, security and acoustics.

We have extensive HSR experience from the US, Europe and Asia Pacific and we can draw upon this expertise for key skills and lessons learnt.

How can AECOM successfully integrate cutting-edge technology and sustainability solutions into the project in order to align with the UAE’s net-zero ambitions?

We see the environmental impact of the project as a key focus. 

While HSR projects provide a sustainable means of transport, they use significant amounts of carbon in their construction and operations. In order to ensure we are all focused on ESG, our award-winning ESG team will be involved in the project from the early tender stages, ensuring our ScopeXTM approach is driven into design thinking from the outset. 

ScopeX is AECOM’s approach to partnering with our clients to find opportunities to influence carbon emissions in all our projects. 

ScopeX is a way of systematising the methods, workflows and technologies needed to enable the decarbonisation of the projects we work on. 

We are cutting both our own carbon impact and helping our clients achieve net-zero carbon emissions through strategies, services and solutions that reduce operational and embodied carbon, both now and in the future. 

How does AECOM see the project evolving in the long term, and what impact will it have on regional connectivity and economic development?

We see this project as a game changer for the UAE, as it essentially moves Dubai and Abu Dhabi closer together. 

The project will be transformative for individuals, communities, economies and the climate – a catalyst for the development of HSR in the UAE and the broader Middle East region. 

Initially connecting major cities, we envisage that these HSR systems could soon be linking all of the GCC countries, decarbonising transportation and providing a superior passenger experience along with many social and economic benefits.

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