Firms are expected to submit their technical offers for the contract to operate the Doha Metro and Lusail tramway networks on 26 October.

The client, Qatar Railways Company (Qatar Rail), is expected to receive commercial offers in late November.

Qatar Rail has said it aims to award the operator contract for both schemes before end of 2017.

Qatar Rail prequalified six groups for the operation of the Doha Metro and the Lusail tramway in early 2016. They include:

•  MTR Corporation (Hong Kong)
•  Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) (Japan) / West Japan Railway Company (JR West) / Mitsubishi Corporation (Japan)
•  Serco (UK)
•  Transdev (France)
•  RATP Dev (France) / Keolis (France)
•  Arriva (UK) / DB International (Germany)

The UK’s Serco operates the Dubai Metro, tram and the Palm monorail, while a subsidiary of Germany’s Deutsche Bahn formed a joint venture with Etihad Rail to operate the UAE railway.

Serco Group along with Network Rail Consulting and Freightliner Group, also of the UK, will operate the passenger line of the North-South railway (NSR) in Saudi Arabia following the award in February 2015 of a five-year, $185m deal to provide technical support for the railway’s passenger operations.

Construction work on the Doha Metro and Lusail tram are expected to be completed between 2018 and 2019, with commercial operations expected to begin in 2020, two years prior to the staging of the 2022 Fifa World Cup in Doha.