EXCLUSIVE: Abu Dhabi moves on stalled rail project

28 November, 2017 | By JENNIFER AGUINALDO

Abu Dhabi has re-engaged with stakeholders for the design and route alignment for the upcoming phases of Etihad Rail, the UAE’s federal railway network.

This includes the rail project’s second stage, for which procurement was suspended in early 2016.

“We were told Stage 2 is no longer on hold,” a source who was present at a high-level meeting held last week tells MEED.

During the meeting, senior officials at the Abu Dhabi-based Federal Transport Authority and Fujairah Municipality primarily discussed the need for minor revisions to the current route alignment for Stage 3, which will link the railway to Fujairah as well as Ras al-Khaimah and Sharjah.

MEED earlier reported that the client, Etihad Rail, met with stakeholders in late 2016.

However, neither the FTA nor Etihad Rail has officially confirmed reviving the procurement process for Stage 2 so far.

MEED understands securing funding remains a key issue for the succeeding phases of the scheme.

Etihad Rail suspended the procurement for Stage 2 of the 1,200-kilometre national railway in January 2016, following a 30 per cent employee reduction.

The main package for the 628km Stage 2 has been tendered twice. Two groups were believed to have been shortlisted in the first tender. They include:

Salini Impregilo (Italy) / Samsung C&T (South Korea) / Tristar (local)
China Railway Construction Company (China ) / Ghantoot Group (local)

Based on the original design, Stage 2 will connect the railway to Mussafah, to the ports in Abu Dhabi and Jebel Ali, and to the Saudi and Omani borders.

Etihad Rail has been operational since late 2015.

Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc) is the offtaker for the railway’s first stage, which is used mainly to transport granulated sulphur from Shah and Habshan to the Mirfa depot in Ruwais, from where it is being exported.

Contractors in talks for Al-Maktoum airport construction

Companies have submitted prequalification documents for the Concourse 1 and West Terminal Building substructure Leading local and international contractors are in talks to form joint ventures for the contract to build ...

Abu Dhabi moves to fix construction with consolidation

The emirate plans to create a national champion by merging two contractors, while the future of Arabtec hangs in the balance Coming on the same day that Arabtec Holding announced plans ...

North Africa is a challenging market with huge potential

The combined value of all projects planned or under way in the five North African countries is about $739bn The signing on 11 December 2017 of an agreement between Egypt and Russia ...

Coronavirus executive briefing (24 June)

Understand the Covid-19 outbreak, its impact on the global and regional economy, and initial implications for specific sectors Click here to download the full document

Dubai weighs options for airport megaproject funding

Oversubscription in $3bn credit facility indicative of strong interest from banks Dubai’s aviation and finance authorities are still weighing options in terms of funding the logistics corridor planned for Dubai South, the largest ...

Governments refocus on public-private partnerships

Tightening fiscal space broadens Middle East opportunities for public-private partnerships once again Outside the power and water sectors, public-private partnership (PPP) projects have had only limited success in the Middle East ...

GCC projects market slumps in 2018

Latest data from MEED Projects shows a continuing decline in the value of new contracts awarded The value of projects awarded in the GCC last year fell by 22 per cent ...

Dubai prepares deep sewage tunnel tenders

Dubai Municipality is expected to tender construction work for the scheme during the first quarter of this year Dubai Municipality is preparing to issue tender documents for construction work for the ...

Early contractor input is crucial for successful projects

Engineering Contracting Company’s CEO Kareem Farah says construction companies bring expertise that helps reduce project costs It is becoming increasingly important for developers and contractors to deliver quality projects efficiently as ...

Egypt growth to continue with support

Fnancial support, project investment and tourism are key factors for Egypt's recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic Given it is the most populous Arab country, with 42,980 confirmed Covid-19 cases and 1,484 ...