A new monorail system being designed for Bahrain will be the most environmentally friendly in the world, it was claimed on Tuesday.

It will also have the smallest carbon footprint of any rail network in the world, as well the lowest noise levels, said a spokesman for EAG Capital, which is partnering designer Malaysian company Scomi Engineering.

'This monorail network will run on rubber wheels on concrete tracks and on environmentally-friendly electricity, with no exhaust or pollution of any kind,' the spokesman told the GDN from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

'We have also assured that the project can be completed in a relatively short time with minimum disruption to traffic.

'There will be no road closure and it will result in minimum disruption to traffic.'

The GDN reported on Tuesday that work on the elevated rail system could begin in the next two years and the first phase would feature a 23-km stretch of track.

It will feature state-of-the-art, air-conditioned coaches and is described as one of the safest forms of transport.

'Commuters experience panoramic view of the city since train travels on elevated structures,' said the spokesman.

'It is also safe and reliable and cannot derail as it is built to wrap around the track.'

Designers are due to submit initial plans for the project to the Works Ministry later this month, but the spokesman said authorities had already responded positively to the project - particularly since it would create jobs for Bahrainis.

'The ministry has also reacted positively to a monorail feature which leaves the smallest footprint among rail transit systems in the world,' he added.

'The costs are far lower than traditional systems since only light structures and air space for right-of-way is required.

'This virtually avoids any land acquisition since the route can simply pass alongside or across existing roads with negligible land required only for rail stations along the route.'

Sources previously told the GDN that the final monorail system could reach up to 83km in length.

Scomi Engineering global projects vice-president V Kanesan revealed his company had been working on the project behind the scenes for the past year.

The company is already running monorail services across Malaysia and is looking at other projects in the Gulf, having already submitted a tender for a similar project in Saudi Arabia.

Kanesan said it had been approached to act as a technology partner by the Bahrain government, which approved plans to build a monorail network at the end of last month. - TradeArabia News Service