Dubai eyes private sector JV to help Metro funding

What's new at AMEinfo.com            13th Oct 2009    Dubai eyes private sector for future Metro funding The Dubai Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) is turning to private finance to pay for future work on the Dubai Metro, with plans to add 240km of track and 250km of tramlines. The government is considering three forms of financing - Build Operate Transfer, Direct Public Finance (DPF), and Public Private Partnerships (PPP). While DPF was used for the initial phases of the Red and Green Lines because the private sector was unwilling to finance the project, Abdul Redha Abu Al Hassan, Director of Planning and Development, Rail Agency, RTA, said that PPP was currently the favoured form of future funding.   Find out more...   Muted Cityscape ends with industry looking beyond the downturn The Cityscape Dubai 2009 exhibition closed with no major surprises or announcements from exhibitors and muted attendance figures, reflecting the state of the market following the sharp corrections of the past 12 months. Floor space was much reduced from previous years. Although the majority of the UAE's larger developers had a presence, no new projects were unveiled. Find out more...   Air Arabia sees bright future for low-cost carriers Air Arabia believes that the outlook for the low-cost carriers in the Middle East is robust, as much of the sector is untapped and price is becoming an increasingly important consideration for passengers. Speaking at the Low-Cost Airlines World Mena Conference in Al Ain, Air Arabia's CEO, Adel Ali, said that while the low-cost sector is in its infancy in the region, it has made great strides and offers enormous potential moving forward. Find out more... Middle East Jaguar XJ preview The all new Jaguar XJ, which is expected to arrive in the Middle East at the end of Q1 2010, is previewed in this exclusive video feature by AMEinfo.com. Robin Colgan, MD, Jaguar Land Rover Middle East outlines plans as the car is seen at the Desert Palm Resort, Dubai whilst in the region for hot weather testing. Find out more...   Maximising profit through IT: Business Intelligence When times are tough it is even more important to turn every bit of company data into business information, giving you the best chance of reaping competitive advantage over rivals. But as business intelligence tools have burgeoned, it has become more difficult to understand not just what tools are required, but also how to best get that information out of the system. This special report looks at how to maximise a business intelligence installation, ensuring that all key stake holders have been involved in the project, so that a company can use the software to turn business data into business information, using the system to maximise business profit.   Find out more... AMEinfo.com reaches the business community of the Middle East and beyond, across industries, everyday. In fact 1,642,723 unique users consulted AMEinfo.com in MAR 2009 as audited by ABC Electronic. AMEinfo.com is also a member of World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) to show commitment to open standards in a drive to make the Web accessible for all. In 2007, AMEinfo.com was awarded Superbrand status for the second year running.