Abu Dhabi’s Department of Municipality and Transport (DMAT) is preparing tender documents for the funding and advisory packages for the emirate’s planned metro and light rail transit networks, according to sources with knowledge of the schemes.

The tenders could be released before end of 2017 and the study could take between one to two years, MEED has been told.

MEED understands the advisory roles sought will take into consideration integration of the mass transit scheme with Abu Dhabi’s Surface Transport Master Plan (STMP).

MEED reported earlier this year that DMAT has taken steps to reactivate the procurement process for its planned metro and light rail networks and was preparing a set of recommendations on the timeline and budget required for the project to be submitted to the Abu Dhabi Executive Council (Adec).

It was not clear at the time if DMAT and the other project stakeholders were considering funding options for the schemes.

Adec approved the budget for the consultancy work on both schemes in 2012.

A team of US-based Aecom, US-based Parsons Brinckerhoff and Germany’s DB International won the study and preliminary design contract for the metro element in 2012. A Spanish joint venture of Typsa and Sener was awarded the consultancy contract for the planned light rail transit (LRT).

UK’s Arup previously led the update of the master plan for DMAT.