SANA'A, March 13 (Saba)- Some 21 consultations companies out of 37 companies were qualified to prepare document of tender for railway project in the country, almotamar.net reported on Saturday.

The ministry of transport said that the 21 companies are from United States, Canada, France, Japan, Lebanon, India, China, Spain, South Korea, Italy, Swiss, German, Turkey and Australia.

According to UN Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) study, the cost of the project is $ 3.5 billion.

In his previous statement, the Minister of Transport Khaled al-Wazir highlighted efforts exerted by the ESCWA in preparing the study, saying that such project would be turning point in the development process in the country.
The minister said that the project would help establish investment projects along the track lines, in addition to connecting the resource with the international routes.

It will connect the ports with the densely populated areas and the agricultural and fishery production areas with the exporting ports and consumption markets, he added.

Al-Wazir pointed out that the line would provide important economic gains to Yemen, and will have its positive impacts on economic activities, such as the mining, fishery, agriculture, passengers and goods transportation and others, It also provides local employment opportunities, the minister ensured.

Last December of 2009, the ministry of Transport announced that it had received offers from 36 world consultative firms competing for preparing tenders and contracts for the project that will link Yemen's 22 provinces and Yemen with the Arabian Gulf.

The railroads will operate with the BOT system and an international tender for it would be made public for international private companies in the second half of 2010.

AH