Qatar Railways Company (Qatar Rail) is understood to be considering prequalifying firms for its planned long-distance rail scheme for a second time.

No timeline has been identified for the new prequalification to start, sources familiar with the project tell MEED.

In 2015, some 15 teams were prequalified for the contract. The tender was expected to be released later that year but this has been delayed.

No new development on the project has been officially announced since last year.

Unofficial sources said last year that the client was considering delivering the project as a public-private partnership (PPP).

The teams that were prequalified in 2015 include:

• Acciona Infrastructuras (Spain) / Consolidated Contractors Group (CCC; Athens-based) / Tecnimont (Italy) / Teyseer Contracting Company (local)
• Al-Habtoor Leighton Group (Australia/UAE) / Dragados (Spain) / Al-Jaber Trading & Contracting (local)
• Archirodon (Greece) / China Communications Construction Company (China) / Contraco (local)
• Astaldi (Italy) / Al-Jaber Engineering (local) / Samsung C&T Corporation (South Korea)
• China Railway Signal & Communication Corporation (China) / China Railway 11 Bureau Group Corporation (China) / China Railway Engineering Consulting Group (China) / MAN Enterprise (local)
• Daewoo Engineering & Construction (South Korea) / Rizzani de Eccher (Italy) / Redco International Trading & Contracting (local)
• Eiffage (France) / Six Construct (Belgium) / Midmac Contracting (local)
• FCC Construccion (Spain) / Qatar Building Company (local) / Yuksel Insaat (Turkey)
• Ferrovial Agroman (Spain) / Hyundai Engineering & Construction (South Korea) / Al-Jaber and Partners Construction & Energy Projects (local)
• Grupo Isolux Corsan (Spain) / Cooperative Muratori & Cementisti (Italy) / C M C di Ravenna Societa Cooperativa (Italy) / Construction Development Company (local)
• Itinera (Italy) / China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (China) / Saipem (Italy) / International Trading and Contracting Company (local)
• Porr Bau (Austria) / HBK Contracting (local) / China Railway Construction Corporation (China)
• QD-SBG Group (local) / Yapi Merkezi Insaat VE Sanayi (Turkey)
• Salini Impregilo (Italy) / SK Engineering & Construction (South Korea)/Galfar al-Misnad Engineering & Contracting (local)
• Sinohydro Corporation (China) / JHJ International Trading & Contracting (China)

Under the original plan, the total length of the network will be 406km and it will feature two international and 11 domestic passenger stations, seven freight yards and 128 bridges. The railway will provide links between all of the major industrial areas of the country, including Ras Laffan Industrial City in the north, the port at Mesaieed in the south, and a spur to gas-processing facilities at Dukhan in the west. It will also form part of the GCC Railway network, with a link to Saudi Arabia near Abu Samrah, and a link to Bahrain over a planned causeway.

The first phase of the project, which was due for completion in 2019, will be 151km long. It will extend from the border with Saudi Arabia to Mesaieed, and feature an inland station known as Doha West International, which will connect to the Doha Metro.

A joint venture of France-based Systra and US-based Parsons was awarded the consultancy contract for the design of phase 1.

The delay in procurement and award now means the timeline for the scheme could be extended by at least two years.