The Malaysian construction group Scomi Engineering will hand its design for the 83-kilometre line to the government after a year of working on the project.

The move follows the Bahraini cabinet’s approval of the monorail project at the end of September.

Scomi says it expects construction to begin by 2010, with an initial phase focusing on a 20km stretch of track to alleviate traffic congestion in Manama. The full line across the island could be completed by 2030.

Scomi is also seeking a local joint venture partner to work on the project. The group has not revealed the estimated cost of the complete scheme.