Abu Dhabi has taken steps to reactivate the procurement process for its planned metro and light rail networks, sources tell MEED.

It is understood that the Department of Municipality and Transport (DMAT) met with a number of stakeholders last week and informed them that the planned schedule to tender construction contracts for both schemes in 2018 remains in place.

MEED reported in January that the agency was preparing a set of recommendations on the timeline and budget required for the project to be submitted to the Abu Dhabi Executive Council (Adec).

The procurement process will re-start once Adec approves the recommendations.

UK’s Arup led the update of the Abu Dhabi Surface Transport Master Plan (STMP) for DMAT.

The Adec approved the budget for the consultancy work on both schemes in 2012. A team of US-based Aecom, US-based Parsons Brinckerhoff and Germany’s DB International won the study and preliminary design contract for the metro element in 2012. A Spanish joint venture of Typsa and Sener was awarded the consultancy contract for the planned light rail transit (LRT).

The following year the ownership of the project moved from the Department of Transport, which has started the process to prequalify contractors for the project, to the Abu Dhabi General Services Company (Musanada).

Musanada was expected to issue the tenders by the end of 2014, but this was delayed. In late 2015, it is understood that the preliminary designs were completed and that the tender documents were “70 per cent complete.”

The ownership of the projects has since been moved to the DMAT.