Bidders have emerged for the elevated and at grade sections of the Red, Green and Gold lines of the Doha Metro project.

For the Red Line South sections, contractors are preparing to submit bids on 13 August, with an anticipated start date of December 2013. The package involves building sections of track, stations and a depot.

The prequalifiers for the Red Line South section are:

• Bouygues (France)/Six Construct (Belgium)/Midmac Contracting (local)
• Salini (Italy)/GS Engineering & Construction (South Korea)/Arabtec Construction (UAE)
• Obayashi Corporation (Japan)/AlJaber Engineering (local)
• FCC (Spain)/Alpine Bau (Germany)/Archirodon (Geneva-registered)/Petroserv (local)/Yuksel (Turkey)
• Sinohydro (China)/Tadmur (local)/Lane (US)/Solid General Construction (local)
• Zublin (Germany)/Masco (Saudi Arabia)/Shoula Group (Saudi Arabia)/Redco (local)/Rizzani de Eccher (Italy)

Contractors have also prequalified for the elevated and at grade sections of the Green and Gold Lines, although companies involved with the project say that these sections could be reduced in size.

For the Green and Gold line sections the prequalifiers are:

• Hyundai (South Korea)/Ferrovial (Spain)/Como Construction Company (local)
• Qatari Diar Vinci Construction (local/France)/Darwish Engineering (local)
• Samsung C&T (South Korea)/OHL (Spain)/Qatar Building Company (local)
• Dogus Construction (Turkey)/Ssangyong (South Korea)/Makyol (Turkey)/Redco (local)
• Saudi Binladin Group (Saudi Arabia)/Porr (Austria)/HBK (local)
• Yapi Merkezi (Turkey)/STFA (Turkey)/Aktor (Greece)/Aljaber Engineering (local)
• Tecnimont (Italy)/Al-Jaber Group (UAE)/Guris (Turkey)/Assignia (Spain)/Persys (Malaysia)
• Impregilo (Italy)/SK Engineering & Construction (South Korea)/Galfar Engineering & Contracting (Oman)
• Hochtief (Germany)/Al-Jaber Transport (local)/Consolidated Contractors Company (CCC)(Athens-based)
• Saipem (Italy)/Ozaltin (Turkey)/Nasser (local)/CMC Ravenna (Italy)
• Habtoor Leighton Group (UAE/Australia)/John Holland (Australia)/Dragados (Spain)
• Andrade Gutierrez (Brazil)/Ramco Group (Qatar)
• Daewoo Engineering & Construction (South Korea)/Orascom Construction Industries (Egypt)/Contrack International (US)

Qatar Rail had selected contractors for the first major construction packages on the Doha metro scheme in early April.

For the Red Line North, the selected consortium includes Italy’s Impregilo, SK Engineering & Construction of South Korea and Oman’s Galfar Engineering & Contracting. For the stations package, the selected consortium includes Yapi Merkezi and STFA from Turkey, and Greece’s Aktor.

It is understood that contracts have not yet been signed and other contracting groups have been brought in to negotiate.

The 300 kilometre-long Doha Metro will consist of four lines: Red Line, Gold Line, Green Line and Blue Line. There are different project managers for the Doha Metro lines. A team of US-based Louis Berger and France’s Egis Rail is managing the construction of the Gold Line and the two major stations. US-based Jacobs Engineering is on the Red Line and Hill International, also of the US, is working on the Green Line.

The rail project will have 80 stations by the time it is completed. The metro will link the New Doha International airport (NDIA) to the centre of Doha and will link together a number of the stadiums that will be used for the 2022 World Cup.

Construction work started on the project last year after QRail awarded the consortium of Austria’s Porr, the Saudi Binladin Group and the local HBK Contracting the enabling works package for the metro. The three-year contract has an estimated QR200m ($55m) of work that has already been defined. The total value of the contract could increase to QR500m as more work is added.