Etihad Rail receives prequalification entries for wagons contract

20 August 2019
Etihad Rail is expected to officially award package D of the federal railway's second stage to the preferred bidder before the end of summer

Abu Dhabi-based Etihad Rail has received prequalification applications for the contract to manufacture, supply and commission wagons that will operate across the entire Etihad railway network.

The client set minimum requirements for the wagons that include the ability to operate in extreme coastal and desert environments, and suitability for heavy haul railway operations with up to 32.5-tonne axle loading. The wagons sought also have to be equipped with an electronically controlled pneumatic braking system and demonstrate reliability and safety in operation.

The seven types of wagons expected to be procured are:

  • Flat container wagons
  • Single well double stack container wagons
  • Uncovered aggregate hopper wagons
  • Covered aggregate hopper wagons
  • Side dump hopper wagons
  • Bulkhead flat wagons

Package D

Etihad Rail is to imminently award the contract for package D of the federal railway's second stage to the preferred bidder.

Sources familiar with the scheme have told MEED the client could award the contract before the end of summer.

Package D involves the construction and design of 98 kilometres of mainline, plus a 29km line to Tawyeen in Sharjah and the emirate of Fujairah.

Previous contract awards

On 25 June, Etihad Rail awarded the contracts for packages B and C to a joint venture of China Railway Construction Corporation and local contracting firm Ghantoot Transport & General Contracting.

The total contract value for both packages is AED4.4bn ($1.2bn).

Package B runs for 216km while package C runs for 94km. The packages are part of the 605km line from Ghuweifat to the Port of Fujairah.

It is understood Canada-based WSP is the design consultant for the team.

The client awarded the first civil works package in March this year, to a team comprising China State Construction Engineering Corporation and South Korea’s SK Engineering. The contract is worth AED1.5bn.

That contract is for the construction of a 139km rail line in the Al-Dhafra region between Ghuweifat and Ruwais.

Bidding open

Three other packages under Etihad railway's second stage are currently under bid. They are:

  • D0201 – depot and operation and maintenance (O&M) facilities
  • E0001 – systems integration
  • D0203 - freight facilities and rail systems including signalling

Last year, Etihad Rail selected US-based Jacobs Engineering for the engineering design contract for stage 2 and future routes of the railway network. It also awarded French engineering consultancy Egis Group the project management consultancy (PMC) contract for the scheme.

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