The Arriyadh Development Authority (ADA) released the tender documents for the operation and maintenance (O&M) contract for Riyadh Metro on 28 April.

The submission date for offers closes in mid-October.

Prequalified firms for the contract are understood to include:

• SMRT (Singapore)
• Serco (UK)
• Korail (South Korea)
• RATP (France)
• Keolis (France)
• Ansaldo / Hitachi (Italy/Japan)
• QDVC (Qatar)

It is likely the ADA will select two or three O&M firms to operate and maintain the six lines, a source familiar with the project told MEED.

In March, Alwalid Alekrish, director of construction development projects and project director of the Riyadh Metro at the ADA, said the O&M deal is likely to be awarded in 2017.

The three Riyadh Metro packages were awarded to separate consortiums in 2013, with 2018 set as the target completion date for all lines at the time. A 12-month delay has been anticipated, with 2019 set as the new target completion date.

Alekrish confirmed in March that the $23bn project is on track to be completed in 2019, stating that “the metro is being paid for directly from ring-fenced government funds and as such there is no specific debt or borrowings”.

This implies the metro project will be largely unaffected by the recent clamp down on government spending in light of lower oil prices.

The executive said there are no plans for the project to be scaled back or delayed, and that any modifications will likely be limited to minor details such as the interior design, although these too have yet to be decided.