Dubai’s Roads & Transport Authority (RTA) has received final offers from the two shortlisted bidding groups for the contract to design and build the new metro link connecting to the Expo 2020 site.

Spain’s Acciona, Turkey’s Gulermak, and France’s Alstom submitted the lowest offer with a price of AED10.07bn ($2.7bn).

The price is about 3.5 per cent lower than the offer of AED10.44bn submitted by Japan’s Obayashi, Athens-based Consolidated Contractors Company (CCC; Athens-based), and Japan’s Mitsubishi Heavy Industries.

The RTA selected the two shortlisted bidders in April after evaluating bids from five groups. Initial prices were opened on 6 March.

The scheme, known as Route 2020, involves building a 15-kilometre-long line branching off the existing Red Line at the Nakheel Harbour & Tower station, between the Ibn Battuta Mall and Jumeirah Lake Towers stations. The line will also connect to Al-Maktoum International airport. About 11km of the line will be elevated, with five elevated stations and two underground stations.