Qatar Railways Company (Qatar Rail) has prequalified 15 consortiums for the first phase of its long-distance rail scheme.

The prequalified firms, which comprise mostly joint ventures formed between international and local contracting companies, 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)

The tender is scheduled for release between the last quarter of 2015 or the first quarter of 2016, according to Qatar Rail.

Phase one of the project involves building a 146-kilometre-long rail line from the border with Saudi Arabia to Mesaieed and the New Doha Port project on the east coast of the peninsula, as well as an inland station known as Doha West International, which will connect to the Doha Metro.