Qatar’s Transport Ministry (MOT) is seeking specialised engineering firms for three contracts designed to update its existing transportation masterplan.

The first package pertains to data collection, inventories and surveys. The commercial and technical submissions for this package is due on 25 April.

The next contract, package 3, comprises an update to the Qatar Strategic Transportation Model (QSTM), with submissions due on 2 May, while the final contract, package 4, comprises work for updating the masterplan itself, with submissions due on 9 May.

Germany’s PTV Group developed Qatar’s previous transport masterplan, which covered the period 2006-16. The study and masterplan development was commissioned by the Municipality & Urban Planning Ministry, and was undertaken between 2006 and 2008.

PTV undertook data collection and analysis, network and policy development, transport modelling and transport implementation plans during the two-year duration of the project.

The first masterplan study consisted of more than 60 deliverables, including recommendations and guidelines on traffic, pedestrian and parking facilities, as well as strategies and policies that include safety strategy and intelligent transport systems (ITS), among others.

Most of the GCC municipalities are under pressure to introduce an integrated transport system to address growing traffic congestion in urban areas and to achieve their sustainability objectives.

Dubai’s Roads & Transport Authority (RTA) is also preparing to issue requests for proposals to update the emirate’s transit study. Expected to take about nine months to complete, the study will look at updating and modifying the RTA’s proposed future metro lines and other public transport networks such as the tram. It will also consider other rail systems such as PRT (personal rapid transit).