Business & Finance Club Magazine - Transportation Sector - Doha:  The Qatar Transport Projects 2010 Conference began on Tuesday at the Grand Hayatt Hotel to discuss the key new developments in Qatar's railway, aviation, port, road, marine and logistics sectors. The two-day conference, sponsored by the Ministry of Business and Trade and organized by Meed, the Middle East Business Magazine, gives the participants an opportunity to discuss developments of transport-related infrastructure in Qatar and provides information on the opportunities for planning, designing, building, supplying and operating world-scale transport projects and facilities.

The event also offers an in-depth understanding of the new project opportunities connected with Qatar's massive investment in transport related infrastructure. 

Addressing the opening ceremony, the Acting Director of General Transport Affairs at the Ministry of Business and Trade Nasser Qadad said that Qatar was very much aware of the importance of transport and so interested in developing and modernizing for all the fields of transportation, adding that Qatar is also keen to participate in all international and regional events dealing with this sector.

Qadad stressed the importance of creating partnership between the public and private sectors to develop transport sector based on the wise policy pursued by Qatar, represented in senior leadership and guidance of HH the Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani and HH the Heir Apparent Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.

The government looks forward to partnership which is active in the field of rehabilitation of roads and development, modernization and financing plans to establish a rail road on the new specifications in line with international standards, he said.

Talking about public transport system, he said that it has to be improved and that it needs more and more investment. Investment in public transportation system creates more jobs and helps right people to get to the right jobs, without wasting otherwise productive hours in the process, he added.

Every year, public transportation prevents the emission hydrocarbons, nitrogen oxides and also helps the environment by conserving energy and reducing gasoline consumption, Qadad underlined. 

For his part, Senior Traffic Engineer, the Ministry of Municipality and Urban Planning, Eng Osama Freiga gave a speech in which he highlighted the Ministry's plans and programs aiming at establishing balanced transport networks and serving Qatar's goal to become a hub of regional international trade and services in addition to supporting the business sector in Qatar.

He added that Qatar is seeking to develop a safe transport network in line with international standards, pointing out that the Qatar transport master-plan was launched in 2008.

The conference will underline the challenges posed by the growth and development of the public transport system in Qatar and ways to integrate existing infrastructure with the new planned transportation projects, in addition to full details of the master plan for transport and the most important steps aimed to reduce traffic congestion.

Several bodies such as transport authorities, transport advisers, consultants, architects, engineers and logistic services providers, investors, financiers and professional services providers will mainly benefit from the conference.

In January, Meed organized the Qatar Projects Conference 2010 which dealt with the growth Qatar is currently witnessing in the field of infrastructure and the development in the energy production projects besides the finance and business sector.