Etihad Rail is evaluating bids from contractors for two more construction packages on the UAE’s 1,200-kilometre federal railway.

Firms have submitted bids for contracts covering work on stage 2 of the railway network in Abu Dhabi and Dubai. Package B covers about 200km of mainline plus a 40km branch line to Khalifa Port in Abu Dhabi, and package C involves approximately 78km of mainline plus a 20km branch line to Jebel Ali Port in Dubai.

Etihad Rail says it expects to award the contract for package B in the third quarter of this year.

Contractors are also preparing to submit bids on 16 June for the contract covering package D, which involves 98km of mainline plus a 29km line to Tawyeen in Sharjah and Fujairah.

The client awarded the first civil works package to a team comprising China State Construction Engineering Corporation and South Korea’s SK Engineering in March this year. The contract is worth AED1.5bn ($409m).

That contract is for the construction of a 139km rail line in the Al-Dhafra region between Ghuweifat and Ruwais.

US-based Jacobs Engineering was selected last year for the engineering design contract for stage 2 and future routes of the railway network. In May, Etihad Rail awarded French engineering consultancy Egis Group the project management consultancy (PMC) contract for the scheme.