Qatar Railways Company (Qatar Rail) has extended the deadline for the submission of bids for the contract to extend the Doha Metro Green Line to 12 November.

The initial deadline was 1 October.

MEED understands Qatar Rail extended the deadline to accommodate additional technical queries from the prequalified bidders.

Consortiums that have been prequalified to bid for the contract include:

• Aktor (Greece) / Larsen & Toubro (India) / STFA (Turkey) / Yapi Merkezi (Turkey) / Aljaber Engineering (local)
•  FCC (Spain) / Consolidated Contractors Company (Lebanon)
• Impregilo (Italy) / SK Engineering & Construction (South Korea) / Galfar al-Misnad Engineering & Contracting (local)
• Porr (Austria) / Saudi Binladin Group (Saudi Arabia) / HBK Contracting (local)
• QDVC (France/local) / GS Engineering & Construction (South Korea) / Al-Darwish Engineering (local)
• Rizzani de Eccher (Italy) / Lotte E&C (South Korea) / Redco International (local)

The prequalified groups and their members are currently undertaking construction work on the first phase of the metro; the Porr-led team is currently executing the underground and elevated sections of the first phase of the Green Line.

The new project is known as Green Line extension phase 1a. The scope is understood to involve about 10 kilometres of tunnel and 10km of above ground track.

A joint venture of the US’ Hill International and the local Astad Engineering Consultancy & Project Management Company, which is the project manager for underground sections of the network, and a joint venture of the US’ Louis Berger and France’s Egis Rail, which is managing the elevated sections, are expected to compete to be the project manager of the Green Line extension.