11 companies bid for construction of 28.6 km Bahrain Metro Phase 1

Bahrain (Urban Transport News): The Ministry of Transportation and Telecommunications of Bahrain has received a total of 11 (eleven) bids against the tender launched in March this year for the construction of Phase 1 of the Bahrain Metro Rail project.

AECOM Middle East Limited, EGIS, Mohamed Salahuddin Consulting, SENER Ingenieria y Sistemas, Intecsainarsa and Gulf Market international are among the bidders who have shown expression of interest for this much-awaited project.

This information was revealed when the tender and auction board, the independent regulatory body tasked with overseeing government bidding and bidding practices, 57 bids were received for eight tenders by five government agencies and ministries.

"We are looking forward to appointing a technical consultant to study the feasibility of the route for completion in the first phase. The study will evaluate the possibilities of a different alternative corridor, the project's economic benefit, station allocation, concept and preliminary design of the corridor and cost estimate of the project," said the Ministry of Transportation and Telecommunications.

The Ministry is also planning to extend the metro corridor to Bahrain Sports City, for which they will start a feasibility study. According to the plan, the Kingdom is exploring possibilities to extend the proposed Bahrain Metro corridor from King Hamad Railway Station at Alramli Area to the New Sports City and the International Exhibition Centre at Sakhir Area.

The Bahrain Metro project will consist of developing an extensive 109 km rail-based urban transit network in a phased manner comprising four transit lines. 

Phase 1 comprises two lines with an estimated length of 28.6 km and includes 20 stations with two interchanges. The two lines aim to connect the key transit points including Bahrain International Airport as well as major residential areas, commercial areas and school districts.

The project is part of the kingdom’s Public Transport Masterplan 2030, which has recommended the development of a 184 km urban transit network comprising six lines.

The project will be implemented in four phases. In Phase One, two lines of length running 30 km will be constructed covering 20 stations. The Red Line will link Bahrain International Airport with the suburban Seef District through the Bahrain Financial Harbour, serving 9 stations.

The Blue Line will commence from the Juffair suburb and go through the Diplomatic Area before finishing at Isa Town, serving 11 stations.