Izmir municipality has received some 14 bids for a consultancy contract - valued at around $15 million - for the first stage of the city's light rail mass transit system. A construction contract valued at $387 million for the project has already been signed with a venture of Sweden's ABB Traction and the local Yapi Merkezi (MEED 4:3:94).

International and local companies included in the bidding are: Temat; Yuksel Domanic with Teksan Temel; UBM with Dolsar and the UK's Kennedy & Donkin with Sir Owen Williams & Partners; Yuksel Proje with the US' Louis Berger International; Optim and France's Rail Consult with Germany's Obermeyer; France's Sofretu with Turan; France's Sogelec with Temelsu; Germany's Lahmeyer International with Tekfen; Austro Consult with EDA and Ere; Delcan with Acer Muhendislik; Tustas with Su Yapi and Yapi Teknik; Botek; the US' ICF Kaiser Engineers, and a venture identified as DHM with LRTC and IGT.

An agreement providing a sovereign guarantee for funding of $450 million towards the project was signed by the treasury with foreign banks in February 1994. The 9.3-kilometre line will run from Fahrettin Altay to Basmane through the city's central Konak district, and will have 10 stations.

Bids have also been invited by Istanbul municipality in three packages for the completion of the first leg of the city's metro project. The packages cover finishing works, auxiliary mechanical and electrical procurement and installation, cistern construction, supply of maintenance bench tools, and rail laying. The closing date is 16 May (see Tenders).