The international infrastructure industry, along with the relevant ministry offices, general contractors and investors from the Middle East, met in Bahrain for the Infrastructure Middle East for the second time from the 17th to 19th of January. With more than 350 participants and 60 speakers at the conference, this year's event was nearly double the size the previous year's, making it the largest interdisciplinary infrastructure conference with exhibitions in the Middle East.

The conference was divided into three sub-conferences surrounding the subjects of "Underground Infrastructure," "Water and Waste Water" and "Traffic and Transportation." Focus was placed on the increasing strain surrounding traffic condition, as well as on upcoming projects in micro-tunneling, canalization, network management and the renovation of water treatment plants.

50 exhibitors and sponsors presented their solutions to the most pressing challenges surrounding infrastructure in the Middle East in the accompanying trade exhibition.

The number of vehicles in Bahrain alone is expected to increase from 460,000 at present to 2.3 million by the year 2030. This presents a serious problem there and in other fast-growing centers in the Middle East when one considers that current extrapolations predict cities like Dubai to lose 1 billion EUR in economic strength each year due to time loss caused by traffic jams.

The Master Plan for Bahrain presented at the event foresees investments totaling 5.7 billion EUR in the next 20 years for the expansion of a public transportation system covering roughly 200 km. The plan entails integrating a network of buses and city railways into the Gulf Railway system with connections to all GCC countries. The addition of a subway system is also being discussed at present.

A current status update on the infrastructure projects in the Middle East will be presented at the upcoming Infrastructure Middle East 2012, which will be held in Bahrain from the 16th to 18th of January (see www.infrastructure-me.com).