The study and preliminary design contract for Abu Dhabi’s metro system has been awarded to a consortium comprising US-based consultancy firms Aecom and Parsons Brinckerhoff and Germany’s DB International.

The contract award moves the emirate’s planned metro system into phase 2 of its development.

The successful consortium, known as the Adapt Group, also completed the feasibility study for phase 1 of the project. Contracts on phase 1 were tendered in 2009 and awarded in 2010.

Phase 3 will involve the final contract documentation and construction tender award.

The original masterplan for the metro involved the construction of 131 kilometres of line, supported by tram and bus feeder services. Earlier this year, plans were revised with the size of the network reduced.  

MEED reported in January that construction of the metro and tram networks would not start until mid-2013 at the latest. The first phase of the project is not expected to be up and running until 2018.

The client on the project is the Department of Transport.