Abu Dhabi tenders metro and light rail consultancy package

29 July 2018
The planned metro and light rail networks are part of Abu Dhabi’s Surface Transport Masterplan

Abu Dhabi’s Transport Department (DoT) has invited firms to bid by late August for pre-tender consultancy services for the Abu Dhabi metro and light rail transit (LRT) schemes.

The study seeks to establish:

  • Signage and way finding, common components, retail and advertising guidelines
  • Guidelines for park and ride facilities
  • Detouring and construction lay-down study
  • Stations naming rights
  • Guidelines for building information management (BIM).

The metro and LRT projects are part of Abu Dhabi's $68bn Surface Transport Masterplan, first announced in 2009.

In early 2012, the Abu Dhabi Executive Council (Adec), the local executive authority, approved the DoT budget for the consultancy work on the metro and tram networks.

Aecom and Parsons Brinckerhoff, both US-based, and Germany’s DB International won the study and preliminary design contract for the metro element. The LRT consultancy element went to a Spanish joint venture of Typsa and Sener.

The projects moved into the construction procurement stage in the second quarter of 2013 when the client invited contractors to submit expressions of interest. More than 400 companies did so, with prequalification starting two months later.

However, ownership of the estimated $7bn metro and LRT project was transferred in late 2013 to Abu Dhabi General Services Company (Musanada) as part of a general transfer of major transport and healthcare projects to the specialist project client arm of the government.

Musanada was expected to issue tenders for the construction of the metro and LRT schemes by the end of 2014, with awards scheduled for 2015. However, no award was made in 2015 and ownership of the projects has changed twice since.

Abu Dhabi metro and light rail transit projects
ProjectScope
Metro phase oneA single 18km line between Zayed Sports City and the Mina Zayed/central business district area, with17 stations
LRT Blue LineA 15km line from Marina Mall to Reem Island, with 24 stations
LRT Green LineA 13km line from Karama to Saadiyat Island, with 21 stations
Source:MEED

They were first transferred to the Department of Municipality and Transport (DMAT), which was understood to be preparing tender documents for the funding and advisory packages for the metro and light rail transit networks in early 2017.

The restructuring of the Abu Dhabi Executive Council (Adec) in September last year, however, has meant the projects are now back under DoT.

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