A joint venture between China Communications Construction Company and local contracting firm Masar United is awaiting for the formal award of the contract to build the 21-kilometre spur line to transport phosphate from mines in Shidiya to the Wadi Yutum rail terminal near Aqaba.

“We are waiting for the letter of confirmation from the Transport Ministry… We would need at least one month to mobilise our team before the official construction period can begin,” a source close to the project tells MEED.

The JV proposed for a construction period of two years.

The Saudi Fund for Development provided $74.8m to fund the project.

The joint venture offered $124m to build the railway link. Two other consortiums, one comprising Societa and Marwan al-Kurdi, and another comprising Tata and Hussein Atieh, submitted offers worth $131m and $151m, respectively.

Sixteen (16) consortiums prequalified for the project back in 2013 but only three submitted an offer. US firm Louis Berger is the construction supervision consultant.

The work has been split into three packages:

• Shidiya railway terminal, phosphate loading station and associated facilities
• 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
• Wadi Yutum trans-shipment terminal and associated facilities

Once completed, the rail link will transport 6 million tonnes a year (t/y) of phosphate from mines in Shidiya to the Wadi Yutum terminal near Aqaba.