Dubai’s Roads & Transport Authority (RTA) has received bids from consultants for the contract to design the second phase of the Dubai Tram network.

The bidders are:

• Arup (UK) / Typsa (Spain)
• CH2M (US)
• Dar al-Handasah (Lebanon)
• Parsons (US) / Atkins (UK) / Egis (France)
• Systra (France) / Aecom (US)
• WSP Parsons Brinckerhoff (Canada headquartered) / Sener (Spain)

The second phase of the tram network will link the depot at the end of the first phase of the existing network to the Mall of the Emirates metro station on Sheikh Zayed Road. The track will run through Dubai Holding’s Jumeirah Central development.

A third phase is also planned by the RTA that will run from Mall of the Emirates along Jumeirah Beach Road to Union House at the junction of 2 December Street, which was formerly known as Al-Dhiyafa Street. The third phase could also connect to the Dubai Metro, at the Al-Jafliya station in the Satwa area.

The first phase of the tram opened in 2014. It was built by a team of France’s Alstom and the local/Belgian Bel Hasa Six Construct. Systra was the consultant.

In early October, the RTA opened commercial bids from consultants for the update of Dubai’s rail masterplan.

The bidders are:

• Aecom
• Arup
• Atkins
• Mott MacDonald (UK)
• Parsons
• RMC (local)
• Systra
• WSP Parsons Brinckerhoff

Expected to take about nine months to complete, the study will look at updating and modifying the RTA’s proposed future metro lines and other public transport networks such as the tram. It will also consider other rail systems such as personal rapid transit (PRT).

The transport agency’s latest 2030 masterplan includes a 421-kilometre-long railway network with 197 stations.

The RTA awarded the contract to design and build the AED10.6bn ($2.9bn) Route 2020 metro link connecting to the Expo site to a consortium of Spain’s Acciona, Turkey’s Gulermak, and Alstom 10 October.