Qatar Railways Development Company is inviting companies to submit bids for the rolling stock contract for the Lusail light-rail transit (LRT) project in Doha.

The rolling stock contract involves supplying 34 trains to serve the LRT.

The development of the Lusail LRT will include building about 20 kilometres of double track and about 10km of single track. It will also involve building 25 passenger stations and a further eight stations underground.

This is one of three major rail projects to be developed in Qatar in preparation for hosting the Fifa World Cup in 2022. Qatar Railways Development Company is a joint venture between state-owned Qatari Diar and Germany’s Deutsche Bahn.

Germany’s Hochtief will oversee the development of the LRT network. In April 2010, Hochtief founded a joint venture with Lusail Real Estate Development Company, a subsidiary of Qatari Diar, to develop Lusail City. This will be the main centre of activity during the World Cup.

The two other major rail projects that are under way are the Doha Metro and the $2.2bn West Bay people mover. Companies are still waiting to be prequalified for the consultancy contract for the Doha Metro. Deutsche Bahn received prequalification documents from interested companies in November 2010.

Doha Metro is the first part of Qatar’s $25bn railway plan to be developed and will be a crucial part of Doha’s infrastructure when it is complete.

For the West Bay people mover, companies were invited to submit bids by 29 March for the project management consultancy contract (MEED 14:3:11).