KUWAIT: The Spanish Embassy in Kuwait and the Kuwait Metro Company held a joint seminar at the Avenues Mall last Wednesday night to celebrate the end of the data analysis phase of the Kuwait Metro system project and the beginning of the construction stage. The metro project, which aims to help end Kuwait's steadily increasing traffic congestion problem, is co-directed by the Kuwait Metro Company under the supervision on the Ministry of Communications (MoC) and Spanish training company INECO (Ingenier?ay Econom?a del Transporte S.A.).

Attending the event on behalf of the Kuwait Metro Company, Khaled Al-Awadhi thanked both the Spanish embassy and the INECO for their efforts towards the realization of this solution to Kuwait's traffic dilemma, which he said appears to be steadily worsening.

The development company INECO, which has demonstrated diligent efforts and unparalleled support for the Kuwaiti transit system, is one of the best metro developers chosen by us to work with on this project" Al-Awadhi stated.

Mr. Khaled added that the Kuwaiti transport experts recruited by the MoC have provided the blueprints and master plan for Kuwait's transit system, with the invaluable help of the INECO's transportation specialists who have acquired great expertise in the successful implementation of similar high-quality projects over many years.

The companies managed to jointly finalize the Kuwaiti Metro master plan within the last years, handing it over, along with a number of recommendations, to the MoC in order to facilitate the immediate commencement of the practical work on the project.

In conclusion, Mr. Khaled pointed out that the project will not only greatly ease the traffic congestion problem, but also solve positively affect people's quality of life by solving daily mobility issues.

Another distinguished guest speaker at the event, Spanish Ambassador to Kuwait Manuel Gomez De Valenzuka, expressed his gratitude to Kuwaiti society, inviting Kuwaitis to participate in the events planned for the Spanish Week being staged at the Avenues Mall in order to learn more about the different facets Spain has to offer. The ambassador also expressed his delight at having this opportunity to show Spain's advanced technological capabilities and to share these with another welcoming nation, Kuwait.

Spain is a country that has distinguished itself with a variety of technological developments, including being ranked third in the world in terms of wind energy production and fourth in the EU in scientific output in the field of biotechnology, Ambassador De Valenzuka explained. Additionally, he continued, Spain has proved itself highly capable and trustworthy in matters of construction and developing means of public transportation, whether ground-based or in aviation.

Thus, we are more than happy to participate in the efforts to develop a metro system that is becoming real with the help of both the Kuwait Metro Company and the INECO, who are the leading experts in their fields" the ambassador said, commending both companies to advance in this project that aims to change lives rather than simply fixing a problem.

INECO was established in 1968, now employs over 3,200 engineers who have worked on 2,500 different projects in more than 31 countries around the world. The company aims to provide Kuwait with a master plan for a modern railway and metro system and began developing studies into the project in 2006 when the bids for the system were initially launched. INECO's experts looked at the various challenges from both environmental and economic perspectives, developing each plan to determine its technical and financial feasibility and the construction and operation requirements.

According to the master plan's technical characteristics, the metro system will consist of three main lines. Line 1 will connect Kuwait's southern metropolitan area with the center and the main university will see 20 well-distributed stops extending along its 25.8-kilometer length.

Line 2, meanwhile, will be 20.9 kilometers long in total, featuring a total of 25 stations and connecting the main business district with the main residential areas of Salmiya and Hawally.

Finally, line 3, connecting the city center to Kuwait International Airport, as well as providing stations at residential areas and Shuwaikh Industrial Zone en route, will feature 15 stations spread along its 18.5-kilometer length. - Kuwait Times