A venture of the local Guris, Italy's Ansaldo and Breda Costruzioni Ferroviare, and France's Sofretu is the low bidder, at $312 million, for a turnkey contract to build and equip the first phase of the Bursa metro. Only three of the seven shortlisted ventures tendered for the work (MEED 24:12:93; 24:9:93).

Locals Bayindir and Yuksel with Germany's Siemens followed with a quote of $437 million and an alternative of $418 million; the local Sezai Turkes- Feyzi Akkaya with Germany's AEG came in with a price of $450 million and an alternative of $438 million.

Credit financing will be required; the low bidder's financial adviser is the UK's Hill Samuel & Company.

The 14.5-kilometre first phase of the metro will run from the city's organised industrial zone via a central inter-city bus terminal at Sirameseler to the Sehrekustu district. The line will have 14 stops and three large stations, to be served by 72 carriages grouped in trains of three.

Work will take about 27 months. The metro masterplan calls for the construction of five stages over 20 years.