Qatar Railways Company (Qrail) has placed prequalified contractors for the Doha metro project into four groups to bid for tunnel packages and an additional group to bid for the two major stations planned.

Qrail recently issued tender documents for the five major construction packages on the multi-billion dollar rail scheme.

The rail company has prequalified 18 consortiums and has placed the prequalifiers into five different groups containing a maximum of eight consortiums. The consortiums will bid against the other prequalified firms for the contract specific to that package. The first four tunnelling packages are for the Red Line North, Red Line South, Green Line and the Golden Line.

The station package consists of the two major terminals planned for the Msheireb Downtown Doha development and Education City.

The consortiums competing for the five packages include:

Red Line North

• Bouygues (France) /Obayashi (Japan) /Al-Jaber Engineering (local)
• QDVC (local/France) /Al-Darwish Engineering (local)
• Impregilo (Italy) /SK (South Korea)/ Galfar Engineering & Contracting (Oman)
• Samsung C&T (South Korea) /OHL (Spain)/Qatar Building Company (QBC) (local)
• Habtoor Leighton (UAE/Australia) /John Holland (Australia) /Dragados (Spain)
• Ssangyong Engineering & Construction (South Korea)/Dogus Construction (Turkey)/Makyol (Turkey) /Redco International (local)
• Implenia (Switzerland)/Daewoo Engineering & Construction (South Korea)/Orascom Construction Industries (Egypt) /Contrack International (local)

Red Line South

• QDVC (local/France) /Al-Darwish Engineering (local)
• Taisei Corporation (Japan)/Redco International (local)
• Hochtief (Germany)/Al-Jaber Trading (UAE)/Consolidated Contractors Company (CCC)/Marbu Contracting Company (local)/Lusail Hochtief (local/Germany)
• Acciona (Spain)/Hyundai Engineering & Construction (South Korea)/Ghella (Italy)/Como (local)
• Larsen & Toubro (India) /J&P (Overseas) (Cyprus) /Shanghai Tunnel (China)/Al-Sraiya Trading & Contracting (local)
• FCC Construction (Spain)/Alpine (Austria)/Archirodon Construction (Geneva-registered)/Petroserv (local)
• Astaldi (Italy)/Yuksel (Turkey)/Gulermak (Turkey)

Golden Line

• Impregilo (Italy) /SK (South Korea)/ Galfar Engineering & Contracting (Oman)
• Hochtief (Germany)/Al-Jaber Trading (UAE)/Consolidated Contractors Company (CCC)/Marbu Contracting Company (local)/Lusail Hochtief (local/Germany)
• Bam Higgs & Hill (Netherlands)/Six Construct (Belgium)/Midmac Contracting Company (local)
• Acciona (Spain)/Hyundai Engineering & Construction (South Korea)/Ghella (Italy)/Como (local)
• Yapi Merkezi (Turkey)/STFA (Turkey)/Aktor (Greece)
• Ssangyong Engineering & Construction (South Korea)/Dogus Construction (Turkey)/Makyol (Turkey) /Redco International (local)
• Astaldi (Italy)/Yuksel (Turkey)/Gulermak (Turkey)
• Andrade (Brazil)/Queiroz (Brazil)/Ramco Trading & Contracting (local)

Green Line

• Taisei Corporation (Japan)/Redco International (local)
• Habtoor Leighton (UAE/Australia) /John Holland (Australia) /Dragados (Spain)
• Larsen & Toubro (India) /J&P (Overseas) (Cyprus) /Shanghai Tunnel (China)/Al-Sraiya Trading & Contracting (local)
• FCC Construction (Spain)/Alpine (Austria)/Archirodon Construction (Geneva-registered)/Petroserv (local)
• Zublin(Germany)/Strabag (Austria) /China Civil Engineering/Redco International (local) /Rizzani de Eccher (Italy)
• Porr (Austria)/Saudi Binladin Group (SBG)/HBK Contracting (local)
• Implenia (Switzerland)/Daewoo Engineering & Construction (South Korea)/Orascom Construction Industries (Egypt) /Contrack International (local)

Msheireb Downtown Doha development and Education City stations

• Bouygues (France) /Obayashi (Japan) /Al-Jaber Engineering (local)
• Samsung C&T (South Korea) /OHL (Spain)/Qatar Building Company (QBC) (local)
• Bam Higgs & Hill (Netherlands)/Six Construct (Belgium)/Midmac Contracting Company (local)
• Yapi Merkezi (Turkey)/STFA/Aktor (Greece)
• Zublin (Germany)/Strabag (Austria) /China Civil Engineering/Redco International (local) /Rizzani de Eccher (Italy)
• Porr (Austria)/Saudi Binladin Group (SBG)/HBK Contracting (local)
• Andrade (Brazil)/Queiroz (Brazil)/Ramco Trading & Contracting (local)

Qrail recently received bids from four consortiums for the initial enabling works package. The enabling works will include site facilities, civil structures and removing utilities. The enabling works will be carried out in preparation for the tunnelling and major stations packages.

The 300 kilometre-long Doha Metro will consist of four lines: Red Line, Gold Line, Green Line and Blue 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 connect a number of the stadiums that will be used for the 2022 World Cup.

The Doha Metro is part of the $35bn Qatar Integrated Rail Programme (QIRP). The QIRP also includes plans for a 30km Lusail light-railway (LRT), a $2.7bn West Bay people-mover, a line which will connect the new Doha Convention Centre with the West Bay area, a high-speed passenger line and a 340km freight rail line.

In September 2011, US’ Parsons Brinckerhoff was appointed as the strategic programme manager for the QIRP.