Consultancy firms are forming joint ventures that will bid for work one of the UAE’s largest upcoming infrastructure projects, stage 2 and stage 3 of the federal Etihad Rail network.

In late February. Etihad Rail issued requests for proposals (RFPs) for the project and contract management (PM/CM) and engineering design contracts.

Consultancy firms that are understood to have been invited to bid for the contracts include:

• Aecom (UK)
• Arup (UK)
• Atkins (UK)
• CH2M (US)
• Egis (France)
• Jacobs Engineering (US)
• Parsons (US)
• Systra (France)
• WSP (Canada)

Construction work for stage 2 of Etihad Rail was tendered before and cancelled. The project is expected to move ahead this time after the UAE Cabinet approved the country’s first railway law that provides the basis for the future development of the country’s railway infrastructure.

In addition to specifying safety standards, the legislation aims to encourage private sector participation in the financing and provision of operation and management services for the country’s railway sector.

MEED understands it is the first in the series of legislation that is designed to ensure private sector confidence in the country’s rail and transport sector.