Jordan’s Transport Ministry has invited prequalified companies to submit proposals for the contract to construct the Shidiya rail link.

Bids are to be submitted by 4 May 2015. The project is being financed by a JD53m ($74.8m) grant from the Saudi Fund for Development.

The proposed rail link will facilitate the transport of 6 million tonnes a year (t/y) of phosphate from mines in Shidiya to Wadi al-Yutum near Aqaba.

The work has been split into three packages:

1. Shidiya railway terminal, phosphate loading station and associated facilities
2. 21km of narrow gauge railway track, sidings, a trackside refuelling station, storage and loading tracks and a dual-carriageway overpass for the Maan-Mudawarrah road
3. Wadi Yutum trans-shipment terminal and associated facilities

Prequalification for the rail project began in 2013. The 16 prequalified consortiums are (with lead partners first):

• China Communication Construction Company (China) / Masar United Contracting Company (local)
• Simplex Infrastructures (India) / Ahmad Yousif Al-Tarawneh & Partner (local)
• Societa Italiana per Condotte d’Acqua (Italy) / Marwan A al-Kurdi & Partners (local)
• Corsan Corviam (Spain) / Al-Manhal Contracting Establishment (local)
• Saad al-Mobty & Partners Contracting (Saudi Arabia) / United Enterprises Company (local)
• China Railway Shisiju Group Corporation (China) / General Equipment Company (local)
• Archirodon Construction (Greece) / Consolidated Contractors Company (CCC) (Athens-based)
• KEC International (India) / Hassan al-Kouz & Sons (local)
• China Railway Construction Corporation (China) / Haymoor Cousins & Partner (local)
• Tata Projects (India) / Hussein Atieh & Sons (local)
• Omar Abu Saad & Sons (OASC) (local) / Orascom Construction (Egypt) / TSO (France) / NGE (France)
• Porto Carras (Greece) / Mohamed Ahmad Abu Eisheh & Brothers Contracting (local)
• Habtoor Leighton Group (UAE) / John Holland (Australia) / MID Contracting (local)
• Al-Jafar Contracting (local) / Engineering Projects (India) / Premco Rail Engineers (India)
• China Railway 18th Bureau Group (China) / Abu Shreikh Contracting (local)
• China Railway International (China) / Arab Towers Contracting (local)

US firm Louis Berger is the construction supervision consultant.

With the upgrade of Aqaba New Port to handle greater volumes going ahead, the Shidiya link furthers the strategy of making Aqaba a major logistics centre.

This project forms part of the first phase of Jordan’s plans for an interregional railway costing almost $3bn and wider logistics strategy. Preliminary designs for the 1,000km railway and 11 terminals were completed by Lebanese Dar al-Handasah in 2009. However progress has been slow since 2010.