ABU DHABI // For centuries the Liwa Oasis provided sanctuary for the Bedouin people.
Now it will provide sanctuary for the nation's trains.
When construction begins on the first leg of the 1,200-kilometre Etihad railway, months of work will already have gone into research to conquer the one thing that can stop an Arabian train in its tracks: sand.
Engineers can carve tunnels through mountains but the fight against sand is fought on shifting battle lines. Though sand can be so light that it floats on air, it is the impermanence of the shifting dunes that gives them the strength to halt a train moving at 200kph.
"It's not the enemy of the train, but the nature of the UAE's desert topography and sand movement could become an obstruction," said Shadi Malak, the commercial executive director of Etihad Rail. "It's very important before we build the trains that we learn from other nations that have gone through this experience and have come across these challenges."
Etihad Rail engineers have travelled to deserts in China and looked to Saudi Arabia and Mauritania for answers. Chinese railways have plants that can turn sand dunes to clay over 20 to 30 years. Saudi Arabia has sand-sucking locomotives that push sand particles away from the engine. Mauritania has "sand patrols" - motorists who monitor dune movement.
"The sand moves over a period of months and years so you have to keep an eye on this and deal with it before it comes to you," Mr Malak said.
Then there is the topography. Ditches or hills alongside the track can act as sand traps, while both wind and sand can be controlled by planting walls of vegetation.
These were just some of the ideas proposed by sand-mitigation experts from China Railway First Survey and Design Institute at a workshop last month. Any such measures would be carried out in coordination with the Environmental Agency - Abu Dhabi.
"We're very conscious of the environment and any aspects that change nature around the area," Mr Malak said.
Of course, nothing beats local know-how. To that end, Etihad Rail has paired up with Bedouin farmers and the Ruler's court in the Western Region to trace the path and pattern of local dunes.
"Without these people we could not have found the best route," Mr Malak said.
"We have some very knowledgeable people working there. They are Bedouin farmers but they're also engineers."
This intimate knowledge of the dunes was the basis for the route map of the first section. The first stage runs due south from Madinat Zayed before it curves behind the protection of Liwa Oasis to Shah. The second stage will connect Ruwais to the Saudi Arabian border at Ghweifat, and Tarif to Jebel Ali and Al Ain. The final stage will connect the northern and eastern emirates.
"That area is all just sand and you have to be very familiar with it," said Dr Hazem Mubarek, the executive director of infrastructure for Etihad Rail. "So you look at where the green line [of the oasis] is, it's very flat and the movement of the sand is very, very slow, so it's a natural sand mitigation chosen by the alignment itself.
"First and foremost, the sand mitigation method is the choice of the alignment," Dr Mubarek said. "You try as much as you can to align your tracks with the movement of the sand."
There will be a station to monitor the weather. If things get bad in sandstorm season, usually March to July, there are ploughs.
"Like snow ploughs," said Graeme Overall, the director of business development at Etihad Rail. "That desert environment - you think of it as empty but it's not," he said. "As soon as you try to do some work in the area you find it's full of life and activity."
The most sand-prone area is likely to be from Madinat Zayed south towards the edge of the Empty Quarter.
Though sand differs from emirate to emirate - from the rusty sands of Ras Al Khaimah to the creamy dunes of Abu Dhabi, it all comes down to particle size. Problems are caused by the large, heavy particles that "just stick around" near the base of the rails to obstruct tracks.
So from China to Mauritania, the sands will vary but, as Dr Mubarek said: "These fundamental solutions are pretty much the same."
azacharias@thenational.ae
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
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MATCH INFO
Rugby World Cup (all times UAE)
Final: England v South Africa, Saturday, 1pm
Results
2.15pm: Handicap Dh80,000 1,950m
Winner: Hello, Tadhg O’Shea (jockey), Ali Rashid Al Raihi (trainer).
2.45pm: Handicap Dh90,000 1,800m
Winner: Right Flank, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson.
3.15pm: Handicap Dh115,000 1,000m
Winner: Leading Spirit, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar.
3.45pm: Jebel Ali Mile Group 3 Dh575,000 1,600m
Winner: Chiefdom, Royston Ffrench, Salem bin Ghadayer.
4.15pm: Handicap Dh105,000 1,400m
Winner: Ode To Autumn, Patrick Cosgrave, Satish Seemar.
4.45pm: Shadwell Farm Conditions Dh125,000 1,200m
Winner: Last Surprise, James Doyle, Simon Crisford.
5.15pm: Handicap Dh85,000 1,200m
Winner: Daltrey, Sandro Paiva, Ali Rashid Al Raihi.
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
A new relationship with the old country
Treaty of Friendship between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United Arab Emirates
The United kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United Arab Emirates; Considering that the United Arab Emirates has assumed full responsibility as a sovereign and independent State; Determined that the long-standing and traditional relations of close friendship and cooperation between their peoples shall continue; Desiring to give expression to this intention in the form of a Treaty Friendship; Have agreed as follows:
ARTICLE 1 The relations between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United Arab Emirates shall be governed by a spirit of close friendship. In recognition of this, the Contracting Parties, conscious of their common interest in the peace and stability of the region, shall: (a) consult together on matters of mutual concern in time of need; (b) settle all their disputes by peaceful means in conformity with the provisions of the Charter of the United Nations.
ARTICLE 2 The Contracting Parties shall encourage education, scientific and cultural cooperation between the two States in accordance with arrangements to be agreed. Such arrangements shall cover among other things: (a) the promotion of mutual understanding of their respective cultures, civilisations and languages, the promotion of contacts among professional bodies, universities and cultural institutions; (c) the encouragement of technical, scientific and cultural exchanges.
ARTICLE 3 The Contracting Parties shall maintain the close relationship already existing between them in the field of trade and commerce. Representatives of the Contracting Parties shall meet from time to time to consider means by which such relations can be further developed and strengthened, including the possibility of concluding treaties or agreements on matters of mutual concern.
ARTICLE 4 This Treaty shall enter into force on today’s date and shall remain in force for a period of ten years. Unless twelve months before the expiry of the said period of ten years either Contracting Party shall have given notice to the other of its intention to terminate the Treaty, this Treaty shall remain in force thereafter until the expiry of twelve months from the date on which notice of such intention is given.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF the undersigned have signed this Treaty.
DONE in duplicate at Dubai the second day of December 1971AD, corresponding to the fifteenth day of Shawwal 1391H, in the English and Arabic languages, both texts being equally authoritative.
Signed
Geoffrey Arthur Sheikh Zayed
Karwaan
Producer: Ronnie Screwvala
Director: Akarsh Khurana
Starring: Irrfan Khan, Dulquer Salmaan, Mithila Palkar
Rating: 4/5
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
The Bio
Name: Lynn Davison
Profession: History teacher at Al Yasmina Academy, Abu Dhabi
Children: She has one son, Casey, 28
Hometown: Pontefract, West Yorkshire in the UK
Favourite book: The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
Favourite Author: CJ Sansom
Favourite holiday destination: Bali
Favourite food: A Sunday roast
Company%20Profile
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Company%20profile
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Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
Takreem Awards winners 2021
Corporate Leadership: Carl Bistany (Lebanon)
Cultural Excellence: Hoor Al Qasimi (UAE)
Environmental Development and Sustainability: Bkerzay (Lebanon)
Environmental Development and Sustainability: Raya Ani (Iraq)
Humanitarian and Civic Services: Women’s Programs Association (Lebanon)
Humanitarian and Civic Services: Osamah Al Thini (Libya)
Excellence in Education: World Innovation Summit for Education (WISE) (Qatar)
Outstanding Arab Woman: Balghis Badri (Sudan)
Scientific and Technological Achievement: Mohamed Slim Alouini (KSA)
Young Entrepreneur: Omar Itani (Lebanon)
Lifetime Achievement: Suad Al Amiry (Palestine)
Fitness problems in men's tennis
Andy Murray - hip
Novak Djokovic - elbow
Roger Federer - back
Stan Wawrinka - knee
Kei Nishikori - wrist
Marin Cilic - adductor
Test
Director: S Sashikanth
Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan
Star rating: 2/5
