Dubai's Roads & Transport Authority (RTA) will open the financial bids on 2 October for the Dubai Metro Green and Red line extension, study and design package, sources familiar with the scheme tell MEED.

The bidding teams are:

• Aecom (US) / Systra (France) / WSP (Canada) / Arep (France)
• Atkins (UK) / Parsons (US) / Egis (France) / Grimshaw (UK)
• Dar al-Handasah (Lebanon) / Typsa (Spain) / Stantec (Canada)
• Deutsche Bahn (Germany) / Sener (Spain) / KEO (Kuwait)
• Mott Macdonald (UK) / Aedas (UK) / AEC (local) / CallisonRTKL (US) / Turner & Townsend (UK) / SJ (Sweden)

RTA completed the technical bids review in mid-September.

Metro package details

In addition to the study and design, the package also covers preparing tender documents and contract management, as well as a feasibility study for a 7 kilometre line linking both metro lines.

The Green Line extension will start from its terminus at Creek station in the Jadaf area, cross over to the Dubai Creek Harbour development, and go on to Ras al-Khor, International City and Dubai Silicon Oasis, before terminating at Academic City. The line will have 11 stations.

The Red Line extension will link its terminus in Rashidiya to Mirdif City Centre. It will extend 3.5km and have one station.

It is understood that the RTA has been considering the procurement of the 12 stations on the planned extension projects using a public-private partnership (PPP) model.

The RTA may also procure transit-oriented development (TOD) schemes on up to four of the planned 11 stations on the Green Line. TODs comprise commercial, residential and retail spaces in proximity to transport hubs, designed to increase public transport usage.

Green Line

The Green Line extension will benefit Dubai Creek Harbour, which is being developed by local firms Dubai Holding and Emaar Properties. The 6 square-kilometre development will include a large shopping mall and the Tower at Dubai Creek Harbour, which is expected to be the world’s tallest man-made structure when completed.

Local developer Emaar is working with the RTA on plans to build a 2km metro link directly connecting the Dubai Creek Harbour development in Ras al-Khor with Dubai International airport.

Red Line

Dubai is already working on a 15km extension to the Red Line. In 2016, the RTA awarded a AED10.6bn ($2.9bn) deal to design and build Dubai Metro’s Route 2020 link to a consortium of Spain’s Acciona, Turkey’s Gulermak and France’s Alstom.

In March, Dubai’s Finance Department secured an AED9.2bn loan to finance the AED10.6bn Dubai Metro Route 2020 project. It consists of a 17-year, AED5.2bn loan supported by French export credit agency Bpifrance Assurance Export and Spanish export credit agency CESCE. The 14-year amortisation period is expected to commence in 2020, along with a 10-year conventional facility of AED4bn that amortises over six years, beginning in 2022.

The seven-station line extends 15km from the Red Line's Nakheel Harbour and Tower station to the site of Expo 2020 Dubai. The work also includes an upgrade of the existing metro network.