German technical services provider TUV Rheinland is to provide safety assessment services for the new automated people-mover at Dubai International airport.

The company beat off competition from a number of firms including the UK’s Lloyds Register Rail, France’s Bureau Veritas and Italy’s Italcertifer to win the role as Independent Safety Assessor. The role will cover a three-year period.

The people-mover project involves the construction of a railway line connecting the existing Terminal 1 with Concourse 4, which is under construction, at Dubai’s main airport. Local firm Alec won the contract to build the concourse last February.

Last December, the client, Dubai Airport Development Authority, awarded the AED150m ($41m) contract covering the civil engineering works for the transport system to local/UK consortium of Dutco and Balfour Beatty.

Lebanon’s Dar al-Handasah is the project manager for the people-mover while the US firm Bombardier secured a sub-contract for the provision of systems and rolling stock towards the end of last year.

The people-mover is expected to be operational by the end of 2014. Once complete, it will help ease congestion in the increasingly busy airport. This year Dubai International became the second busiest airport in the world, and is expecting to see at least 65.4 million passengers pass through the airport this year.  

TUV Rheinland’s success in Dubai follows the company’s achievement in Saudi Arabia in February when it won the contract as independent competent person (ICP) for the monorail being built in Riyadh’s King Abdullah Financial District (KAFD).

The role involves ensuring the monorail is safe to operate. The ICP reports to the Saudi Railways Commission (SRC) and its assessment will form part of the SRC’s decision as to whether to grant the railway operating and safety licences.